


Forever Autumn

by Axecilies



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Eating Disorders, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Internalized Homophobia, Jealousy, M/M, Minor Amagi Yukiko/Satonaka Chie, Minor Shirogane Naoto/Tatsumi Kanji, Mutual Pining, Self-Worth Issues, Trans Hanamura Yosuke, Trans Tatsumi Kanji, Yosuke has ADHD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 17:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 49,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30059298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Axecilies/pseuds/Axecilies
Summary: With summer over, the Investigation Team has to balance school work and their investigation of the murders once again. For Yosuke, it's getting to be a little too much. Having to hide so much about himself in fear of being socially shunned once again, he's keeping far more secrets than he ever has.It was only a matter of time before his Shadow turned back up again.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Persona 4 Protagonist
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	1. September 13th - Evening

He’s fully aware that it’s back. There’s no reason for it not to be, especially after all the repressing he’s been doing. He sees it in the corner of his vision, taunting him with that sneering face, those echoes of his thoughts he refuses to share, he sees it when the TV turns on late at night when he’s alone. Everybody else is dealing with their own problems just as normal-- but Yosuke thinks it’s all driving him mad. It’s all  _ do schoolwork! Go into the TV to train! Get yelled at by family for being absent all day! Get yelled at in Junes in front of customers because you did something slightly wrong! Almost burst into tears because you can’t handle the criticism!  _ He  _ hates _ it.

And that’s not even what brought his Shadow back. It started trying to pry into him using those things, but it figured out exactly what part of him was  _ yearning _ to be let out. Every day, he can feel his Shadow growing stronger again, like it’s going to burst out and attack everybody-- hurt everyone close to him, and he won’t be able to stop it. His Shadow  _ is _ him, after all-- and it’s what Jiraiya started as. Without access to his Persona, he doesn’t know how much help he can really be-- he just considers himself lucky at this moment that Yu isn’t pulling them into the TV. As soon as he does, the charade will be up, and everyone will realize that Yosuke  _ hasn’t _ accepted all the parts of himself he needed to.

Lucky for him, the rest of the Investigation Team are still in the “figuring it all out” phase. Just like him, they know someone’s gonna be taken soon-- he's  _ sure _ about that-- they just don’t know who. If he can just face his Shadow before all of this, then nobody will realize anything was wrong! But-- how’s he meant to face his Shadow when he doesn’t have a Persona? He doubts it’ll just accept him saying “yeah, I know you’re me” and be done with it. None of the others have been like that-- and sure, maybe that’s because they didn’t know  _ how _ to accept it, but maybe Yosuke doesn’t know if he  _ can _ accept this part of himself. The speed at which rumours spread around Inaba doesn’t sit well in his stomach, and he knows the moment he has to admit it, it’ll cause more problems than it’ll fix. And after all, does the Investigation Team  _ really _ need him? It’s not like he’s  _ that _ special, and sure, maybe aside from Yu, he was the first to unleash his Persona (entirely thanks to Yu’s quick thinking, and Izanagi) but everyone else seems to have caught up just fine. Even  _ Teddie _ has a Persona. What’s so special about him?

_ “Is that why you won’t say anything?” _ The taunting voice of his own Shadow whispers from the TV.  _ “You’re not special to him. It doesn’t matter what you do, you’ll never be special to him.” _

Yosuke doesn’t give it an answer, instead rolling over in bed and facing away from the TV. Teddie’s in the Midnight Channel tonight-- and for one of the first times, Yosuke kind of wishes he  _ wasn’t. _ As annoying as he thinks he is, at least Teddie’s  _ company. _ Any company would be enough to keep his Shadow away.

_ “They’re gonna leave you behind. I mean, after all, they’re all that ties you to this shithole. They know that.” _ His Shadow sneers.  _ “They know if they leave you behind, you disappear. Gone! No more annoying Yosuke!” _

“Where does that get them, then?” Yosuke mumbles. He knows he shouldn’t argue with his Shadow-- it’s part of him, and he knows he feels that way, deep down-- but the want to argue outweighs his self preservation. He has to act like he’s still the guy that nothing gets to, even though he knows he’s cracking under the pressure. “They’re down a team member. That can’t help them.”

_ “You’re already useless without Jiraiya. You thought your Persona would be the  _ **_one_ ** _ way you could get away from this stupid shithole town. Your one chance to become  _ **_yourself._ ** _ And you’ve let it go.” _

“Didn’t let it go. It… wriggled out of my hands, damn it.” Yosuke rolls over again, this time facing the TV. “You’re a real dickhead.”

_ “Coming from  _ **_me_ ** _.”  _ His Shadow rolls his eyes.  _ “You really think he’s gonna be impressed? Losing Jiraiya? Who’s gonna help you when they leave you behind? Once all this is over, they’ll breeze out of Inaba, leaving you to  _ **_rot!_ ** _ ” _

“ **They** **_won’t_ ** **leave me behind!** ” Yosuke yells far louder than he intends to, and he winces as he hears someone else move in the house. He needs to get out of here.

After a halfhearted thought to leap into the TV--  _ Oh yeah, because I don’t have Jiraiya, I  _ **_can’t_ ** \-- Yosuke aims for one of his windows, quickly undoing the latch and climbing out. When his feet hit concrete, he realizes he doesn’t even have his shoes-- but he quickly comes to terms with it, bolting out into the streets of Inaba. Yeah, maybe it’s going to be dangerous, especially with a killer on the loose, and without shoes, or even his Persona, but he knows  _ somewhere _ he can go, right?

_ Uh-- Chie’s house? Yu would be asleep-- don’t feel like Kanji likes me-- _ He has a key to Junes, but he doesn’t think it’d be worth even  _ trying _ to go in there. All those TVs in the electrical section, and with no way to contact Teddie while he’s inside the Midnight Channel, he’d just be haunted worse and worse by his Shadow. Plus, he doesn’t want his father to find him unconscious somewhere in the store in the morning. That’d be a deathwish.  _ Where the hell could I-- _

_ Yukiko’s family owns an inn, don’t they? _ Yosuke doesn’t have long to decide as he feels a raindrop hit his shirt--  _ shit, it’s raining too? This is just  _ **_great_ ** _ \-- _ and he bolts down streets, trying to make his way to where he knows the inn to be. Sure, it’s late-- coming up towards eleven at night, he thinks; that’s where it was when he last checked his phone-- and he’s out of breath by the time he reaches the inn, almost soaked to the bone. When he pushes the door open, panting harshly, he’s sure he’s given whoever’s behind the registration desk a  _ hell _ of a scare. Yosuke’s still catching his breath as he stumbles over, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. He’s sure if he does, he’d die of embarrassment.

“I need-- need to speak to-- to Yukiko…” He pants out, and he’s certain he blacks out for a few moments, as when he blinks again, Yukiko is stood next to him.

“Oh dear-- Yosuke! You look like you were left out in the rain.” She looks as if she’s trying to put an arm around him to comfort him, but she seems unsure if she wants to get her clothes wet. “Why come out here--?”

“I need… somewhere to stay… for the night.” He’s still not looking up-- he can just recognise her voice, and her clothes. He just hopes she hasn’t noticed exactly how bad he looks right now. He doesn’t like worrying his friends-- but this is proof enough that they won’t leave him behind right? He’s not annoying them-- he’s…  _ is he annoying them? _

Yukiko doesn’t ask any more questions in the lobby, quietly leading Yosuke to a room and sitting him down. When he’s sat, and has caught his breath, he finally looks at Yukiko-- she can tell something’s wrong, of course, but he doesn’t know if she’s going to ask.

“Is this alright?”

Yosuke forces out a weird laugh. “I have a roof over my head and I’m out of the rain. It’s perfect.”

Yukiko seems to raise her eyebrows, a little confused at his laugh, but she nods. “If that’s the case, then the next question is…” 

_ Here it comes. _

“Are  _ you _ alright? The receptionist thought you were some kind of ghost-- bursting through the doors in the rain.” There’s genuine worry to her tone. “I didn’t want to make a scene of you in the lobby…”

“Thanks-- um. Yeah. I’m alright.” That’s too obvious of a lie. “Just… got caught out in the rain and confused about where I was.”

She  _ knows _ that's a lie. Yosuke’s been in Inaba for almost a year, he knows his way around-- and being caught out  _ without shoes? _ It’s something more than he’s explaining, but she’s not going to press him for details. “You don’t have to worry about paying-- I can handle this for you. You just look like you need some rest.”

Yosuke nods. “Uh… thanks, Yukiko. Means a lot.”

She smiles gently, and Yosuke forces out a pained smile of his own.

“I’ll wake you up in the morning so you don’t miss school-- we’ll handle finding you some shoes that will fit.”

_ She noticed the shoes, huh? _

“Thanks again.”

“It’s no problem. Now, get some rest. I’ll text Chie about where you are--”

“Why Chie?”

“She’s likely to be awake longer than the rest of us, and she’s good at informing everyone of what’s going on. By morning, the rest of the Investigation Team will know you’re here, which is good.” Yukiko seems to smile to herself, now. “Having a good idea of where everyone is means we can get together easier. Do you think you’ll need to stay here tomorrow night, too?”

“I… couldn’t say for sure. Probably not.” Yosuke knows that Yukiko’s figured  _ something  _ out-- but it’s not like anyone but Teddie knows about how his family treats him. “I’ll be alright, like I said. Just got lost.” She won’t figure it all out, he’s sure.

“If you’re sure. I’ll leave you to rest.”

When Yukiko leaves, Yosuke sits in the silence. The dark feels like it's pulsing around him, and he can barely pick up a conversation being had somewhere else in the inn-- Yukiko telling someone that he’s  _ not _ her boyfriend, he’s a friend from school-- before all of his thoughts are drowned out by a stinging pain in one of his feet. After limping to the lightswitch, he turns it on, trying to find the source of the pain.

A cut on the sole of his foot, obviously gained from his sprint through Inaba. It’s not like he carries anything medicinal on him-- Yu carries all that stuff-- and since he doesn’t have Jiraiya, he can’t even heal himself using its power… so he’s stuck hobbling his way to the small bathroom joined to his room, considering that it’s only his good luck that he can lift his leg high enough to put it in the sink and wash it clean with warm water. It stings worse, and somehow, he wonders where it could have happened. Did he step on something the moment he came out of his house, but ignored it in his rush? Had he stepped hard onto a shard of glass somewhere along the way? Had his foot just ripped open from the sheer force of his steps? There’s no way to tell, and he avoids making eye contact with himself in the mirror above the sink. 

The slight pink tinge to the towel he dries himself off on makes him wince. He’s hastily attempted to dry the rest of his body off on a different towel, and he fails to avoid looking at himself for a split second, and he shakes his head rapidly to try and forget what he’s looking at. He’s looking at a coward, a coward who couldn’t keep his own Shadow in check, who can’t find the courage to be anything more than what he is now.

Once he’s back out of the bathroom, the towel from before wrapped tightly around his foot, he struggles his way out of his wet clothes, pausing only once his shirt is off. He’s seriously unsure if he’s going to take his binder off-- he was wearing it in bed earlier, but after running the whole way here, he still doesn’t feel as if he’s fully caught his breath. With a grunt of strain, he pulls his too-small binder off of himself, gasping the moment he can breathe fully again.

_ “Look at you. You think he’s gonna care about you the moment he knows you look like  _ **_this_ ** _ under all your stupid facades?”  _ The voice of his Shadow comes from the dimly lit TV in the corner.  _ “You’re not a real guy. Why else do you think everyone picks on you? Why are you so focused on performing that hypermasculine fantasy? You want to be accepted so bad, you’ll make fun of anyone-- and when they do the same back, you start  _ **_crying!_ ** ”

"Shut  _ up! _ " Yosuke yells into the silent room, and he pauses, listening out for any sign of movement somewhere else in the building. He knows he doesn't need to worry as much here, but the fear invades all aspects of his life. The only time he's not afraid is when his friends are with him. "Leave me  _ alone!" _

_ "What, so you can wallow in self pity? Nobody's gonna come save you this time. Oh boohoo, my partner's nowhere near me and I want to cuddle him and calm down! What a  _ **_joke!_ ** _ " _ His Shadow hisses, and Yosuke flinches away from the noise. It's drilling into his head like raw static.  _ "You're so pitiful, it makes you look  _ **_stupid!_ ** _ " _ Shadow Yosuke sneers, now.  _ "If ooonly I lived somewhere that wasn't Inaba, if ooooonly I could say something that wouldn't be passed around as a rumour-- you're worse than pathetic. You're a stupid little pathetic  _ **_coward_ ** _ , and you know it, don't you? After all… I'm you, and I know how you feel." _

Yosuke pulls his phone out of the wet pocket of his jacket, squinting down at the lit screen. He has a text from Chie-- something to keep his mind off of his Shadow.

**< 2Trial2Dragon>:** hy junes boy hrd ur at yuki's inn

Yukiko was right, then. She is still awake.

**< Funny froggy>: ** Yeah why whats up

**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** sheeeeeee told me u had no shoes on  
**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** i dont wanna pry buuuuuuuuut  
**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** did u run away from home???

**< Funny froggy>: ** Not like intentsuonally  
**< Funny froggy>: ** It just kind of happend

**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** and u didnt tell yukiko????? who knows u ran????

**< Funny froggy>: ** Only you so shut your trap about it okay?

**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** geez alright trust u to get angry when im worried

**< Funny froggy>: ** If this is you worried tgen i dont wanna see you angey about it  
**< Funny froggy>: ** Dunno why your botherning thoujh  
**< Funny froggy>: ** Yukiko said i said i was fine rightt???  
**< Funny froggy>: ** Cause i did and i am. ill b in school tomorrow dont even worry

**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** oookay, whatever you say!  
**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** see u tomorrow then hope ur ready 2 watch the midnight channel 2morro.  
**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** no running away  
**< 2Trial2Dragon>:** will txt and remind u

**< Funny froggy>: ** Yh sure thing ill watch it no problrm   
**< Funny froggy>: ** Night chie

**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** yhyh!! gn yosukeeeee

He stares blankly at the screen for a little while. His Shadow is clearly gone by now, and instead, he lies down on the bed, eyes wide and uncertain as he tries to figure out his position in the Investigation Team. Sure, he's a cofounder alongside Yu and Chie, but again, is he necessary? Do they need him? If the next person they save joins their team, then Yosuke's spot won't even be missed! Everything will work out okay!

…Right?


	2. September 14th - Early Morning / Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The actions of last night have consequences, as Yosuke is about to find out.

Yosuke awakens in the morning to a hand gently placed on his shoulder, pushing him with enough force to wake him up, but not enough to do much more. After he blinks through his initial sleepy bleariness, he can see Yukiko looking down at him curiously.

"Did you sleep well?"

His brain is lagging too much for him to know how to reply, and his tongue lags behind even further-- what he says becomes completely incomprehensible.

"While I'd be inclined to agree with whatever you just said, I didn't understand a word of it." Yukiko admits gently. "Some of the staff saw your bundle of wet clothes and put them somewhere they can dry."

That makes Yosuke sit up in a rush, one hand clutching the side of his head, and once again he says something incomprehensible, swinging his head around desperately, as if he's missing something. Yukiko is sure she can pick up a few of the sleep slurred words coming from Yosuke-- something about something "binding", and his foot, and something not leaving him alone. Stepping back to give him space, Yukiko tilts her head.

"Oh, so you're like Chie. You don't pick up much information in the mornings." She nods to herself, and Yosuke looks up.

"Huh? Information?" He yawns sharply. "Why am I… hold on."

"You don't remember…?" Yukiko narrows her eyes now, frowning as she thinks. "You ran here in the rain last night." She watches as Yosuke holds his blanket up against his chest as he repositions himself, looking around the room confusedly. “Your clothes are on the radiator over there-- I can bring you a pair of shoes to wear to school. It’s raining out today.”

“Chie told me we’ve gotta check the Midnight Channel tonight.” Yosuke says, and he moves again-- still holding his blanket up against his chest. “So I guessed it’d be raining.” His other hand is firmly holding onto his phone-- it’s running low on charge. He’s going to have to be careful with how much he uses it today. “Thanks, Yukiko. It means a lot.”

“I’m just happy to help.” When she steps back, she makes sure not to trip over anything. “I noticed you were covering your chest. Why?”

Yosuke almost chokes on his own spit, holding the blanket higher. “It’s-- uh!”  _ Shit, shit shit shit shit-- _ “I-I mean, come on, right--?”  _ What am I meant to say? _ “M-my body’s reserved for my--  _ girlfriend. _ ” The words feel oddly unfamiliar on his tongue, and he hopes the queasy smile he forces up is enough to stop Yukiko's questions. "C-can I get dressed, please?"

"Oh!" Yukiko nods. "Sorry, I hadn't thought about the fact you'd want to get dressed alone." As she heads towards the door, she offers one glance back. "I'll bring those shoes for you."

Yosuke mumbles out his thanks, and the moment the door is closed behind Yukiko, he stumbles to his feet-- almost yelping in pain from his cut-- and he checks over the clothes on the radiator. Shirt, jacket, pants-- where's his binder? He swings his head around wildly as he tries to figure out where it is, going so far as to dig through his blankets to see if he'd put it somewhere more hidden and forgotten about it. This is why he hates staying at hotels-- someone is  _ guaranteed _ to be going through his stuff. After damn near having a panic attack about his missing binder, he finds it stuffed  _ inside _ his pillow, still slightly damp from the day before. He knows he shouldn't put on a wet binder, but he struggles it onto himself anyway, sighing as the comfortable feeling of compression envelops his chest. He's trying to ignore how the fabric digs into his shoulders, how it hurts.

While he's walking back to the radiator to get the rest of his clothes, there's a knock at the door, and he rushes to pull his shirt over his binder, hopeful that, if it is Yukiko at the door, she won't look hard enough to see the binder under his shirt. She only opens the door a little, placing a pair of shoes and socks just inside the door before closing it again, leaving Yosuke to get dressed at his own speed. He rushes, of course, though he pauses as he reaches the socks. They're white, and the cut on his foot looks as if it's ready to split back open at any time. Despite his careful moves, when he looks at the sock, now pulled onto his feet, a tinge of red is blooming through the fabric, and Yosuke quickly pulls the shoes on, to try and forget that it's there. The stinging will just have to continue-- and he'll just have to bear it.

He hobbles his way out of the door, grinning painfully at Yukiko. "We moving?"

Yukiko nods. "We're meeting with Chie on the way. We tend to walk together."

"Sweet. It'll be nice to not walk alone." Yosuke stretches his arms. "So do I have to fit under your umbrella?"

"All three of us will have to if Chie doesn't have one." Yukiko leads Yosuke outside, pulling her umbrella out. "Just keep up, and none of us will end up soaked."

Yosuke can only nod; he hopes that Yukiko doesn't walk as fast as she normally does, because with a cut like this, he  _ knows _ he won't be able to keep up. After stumbling to get moving, Yosuke tries to stick as close to Yukiko as he can-- she'll be less likely to notice he's hurt if he acts like normal-- trying his best to ignore the pain constantly spiking from his foot. How can he take his mind off it? All he can think about is what's going to happen when he gets home today-- hell, even what's going to happen when he goes to work. His dad will yell at him for running away, in front of customers,  _ again _ , he'll just sit there and bear it, then go cry in the bathrooms when nobody's watching, and he'll just pretend everything's okay when he gets home-- and his Shadow will taunt him the  _ whole  _ day.

Yosuke shifts his shoulders around uncomfortably. There's something that feels  _ bad _ about his binder today-- is it tighter because it's still wet? Is it the fact that it's cold against his skin, and he wants to shiver? Is it something more? Are his shoulders getting too wide? Will he finally have to get a new one, one that's not ratty and stretched, one that won't effectively bind his chest but will be looser on his shoulders? How's he meant to get that past his parents? He only barely manages to keep this one because  _ Chie _ bought it for him.

Yukiko seems to notice the constant shifting of his shoulders, readjusting his binder to make it more comfortable. She doesn't know entirely  _ why _ Yosuke seems uncomfortable, and she turns to him. "Is something wrong?"

"I just-- slept oddly. My shoulders are really acting up today." He smiles insincerely, and Yukiko raises an eyebrow.

"Do you think you've torn a muscle, or are you just strained from running last night?"

"Either's possible." Yosuke moves again, almost stepping out of the umbrella. "Hey, is that Chie?"

As if to answer, Chie charges towards the two of them, pushing her way under the umbrella. "Hey guys, mind if I join you? Thanks!"

"You're supposed to wait for an answer before just doing it--" Yosuke starts, but he's cut off by Chie.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, like  _ you _ don't do the same thing with Yu."

"Wh--  _ hey _ !" He can't  _ deny _ that he does, he's just annoyed that Chie's bringing it up. "So?"

"Oh I  _ get it _ . You're allowed to do it 'cause you're a  _ guy _ ! That's unfair!" Chie pushes Yosuke lightly, and he stumbles.

"Don't do that!" He pushes a lot of weight onto his hurt foot, and can't hold back the hiss of pain that comes out. "Ow--"

Chie immediately stops. "Are you... okay?"

"No, dammit! I ran the whole way from home to the Amagi Inn, and I have a cut across my whole  _ damn _ foot!" Yosuke snaps out, before his expression and tone become regretful. "...crap."

"You ran from home...?" Yukiko's voice is quiet. "I had no idea..."

“Really? You had no idea?” Yosuke’s hiding his face in his hands. “I came into your inn at  _ almost midnight _ , with no shoes on.” 

“Yeah, I mean… that  _ is _ a pretty big tell.” Chie says softly, though she gently pats Yukiko’s back. “I honestly thought that’s  _ exactly  _ what you were telling me when you texted me.” When Chie looks at Yosuke again, she can fully see his limp. “So you’re just walking around with a cut open on your foot? You didn’t think about doing anything about it?”

“ _ Of course I did! _ ” He snaps again. “But I don’t carry around our emergency provisions for our trips into the TV, now do I? And I’m not just gonna jump into an entirely different TV to the one we know,  _ alone. _ What if I got stuck in there? You guys wouldn’t even know!” Yosuke huffs out in anger. “I’m going ahead.” 

Yosuke limps further ahead, out of the cover of the umbrella and into the rain. As he does so, Yukiko tries to hold the umbrella far enough out to cover him, but he’s out of reach too fast, and she brings the umbrella back to her and Chie.

“Yosuke…” Yukiko glances back at Chie. “Should we go after him?”

“Nah! He’s  _ probably  _ fine.” Despite Chie’s tone, it’s obvious she’s worried. “He probably needs time alone. I mean, we’ll see him in school, I’ll ask him how he’s doing.”

“He’s been going out in the rain a lot-- what if he catches something? Can we afford to be down a team member, especially when we know someone’s going to be taken?” When Yukiko asks, Chie tilts her head slightly.

“I mean-- I like to think he’s got a better immune system than  _ that _ , but I guess you’re right. We can’t really  _ stop _ him right now though-- the fog’s already thick enough that he’s just…  _ gone. _ ”

Yukiko hums in response. “I really hope he’s alright…”

After a moment of silence, Chie nods in agreement. “...so do I.”

* * *

When Yosuke arrives at school, Yu’s already waiting. He’s sat at his desk, twiddling his thumbs as he waits for the rest of the team to arrive, and his head turns the moment he hears footsteps coming into the room-- as if he can perfectly pick out the sound of Yosuke. He offers him a gentle smile, and Yosuke returns it as best as he can, trying to get to his seat as fast as possible. It’ll be nice to rest his foot.

Before he can speak, however, Yu does. “Forget your umbrella?”

Yosuke nods. “Left it uh-- at home. I forgot a lot of things today. Forgot to charge my phone, too.”

Yu reaches into his bag and pulls something out. “Here. I thought I might get wet on the way in, but you should dry your hair off. Should help you warm up a little.” He hands the towel to Yosuke, who grins.

“Thanks, partner! You’re a lifesaver.” Yosuke takes the towel, drying his hair roughly. 

The towel smells like Yu. Yosuke’s guts twist.

When he pulls it away from his head, Yu stifles a little laugh into his hand. The noise almost makes Yosuke flush-- either with embarrassment, or whatever feeling he just felt in his stomach-- but he quickly looks down, handing the towel back. He can feel Yu’s hand gently touch his own for a split second, and the thoughts of the pain in his foot vanish entirely, leaving him only thinking about that fleeting touch, the way Yu smells--

“--forgot your headphones, too?” Yu raises an eyebrow. He knows Yosuke  _ never _ forgets his headphones-- they’re the most important thing that he keeps on him, aside from his phone. By now, Yu understands that Yosuke  _ needs _ to listen to music to focus, and without his headphones… he can’t do that. Something must be wrong.

Yosuke, however, is snapped out of his little stupor by this, rapidly grasping around his collar where his headphones would normally be resting. He’d forgotten them entirely. They’re probably still somewhere in his room-- and the panicked expression on his face becomes more and more tangible. What’s he meant to do? If he has to go the entire day without being able to just retreat into his own little space, and he has to deal with all the  _ noise _ of Yasogami, he might just break down in a supply closet somewhere. He won’t even make it to work after school. Without meaning to, Yosuke makes a pitiful whine of a noise, shrinking back slightly into his own chair. The pain from his foot is back in full force, he can't listen to music to prevent his brain from practically turning to a confusing soup of words and thoughts, none of which he'll be able to coherently explain-- he's  _ doomed. _ There's no way out of this fate.

Noticing Yosuke's reaction, Yu turns in his chair, putting a hand onto Yosuke's shoulder and leaning close to him. Classes are meant to start soon, but what's  _ really _ more important to him? "Do you want to go somewhere else?" Yu whispers, and Yosuke nods quickly. With a gentle smile, Yu stands, helping Yosuke to his feet. He notices the slight stumble to his steps, but thinks nothing of it, instead quietly leading him away from the classroom, and towards the stairs. It'll be quieter on the roof.

Since he hasn't seen Yukiko  _ or _ Chie, he can't even warn them that he's skipping the lesson to help Yosuke out-- though perhaps if he did, somebody would snitch on where they are. He already knows the teachers don't care about what Yosuke goes through. As they approach the final steps up to the roof, Yu realizes he can hear Yosuke speaking-- every few steps, he mumbles out "ow"-- and Yu's arm tightens around his shoulders.

"Let's sit down." Yu says, in the same, soft tone as before. It's raining out on the roof, so they're standing on the stairs leading out. He gently guides Yosuke down before sitting next to him, his arm around his shoulders. Somehow, Yosuke's whole body feels cold-- and Yu's worried about him. "How do you feel right now?"

Both of Yosuke's hands are covering his face, and he lets out an incomprehensible mumble as a response. He leans into Yu's touch, however, as if asking for more.

"That's okay. We'll stay here as long as you want." Yu pulls Yosuke into a closer hug-- and Yosuke immediately tucks his head under Yu's neck, holding tightly to his jacket. He's always appreciated Yu being there for him-- he just can't tell him that right now. None of the words he can think of are the right ones, and he's afraid he'll say something wrong, push Yu away, make everyone want to leave him behind.

The two sit there silently for a while, just trying to enjoy each other’s company-- it's lucky nobody's found them, yet-- before Yosuke manages to force out something shakily. His voice is wavering, but he's trying his best not to sound  _ unmanly. _ "Partner… come to… Junes… after school?" He doesn't move his head from where it is. "Have to work… want you there." After a beat of pause, Yosuke grips Yu tighter. "Please?"

"Of course."  _ I'm not gonna leave you behind. _ "I wouldn't let you walk to Junes in the rain alone-- and hell, if I'm already there, I should help you out."

"Should…? Y'don't… have to."

"I want to. I like helping you-- and I like working beside you." Yu pauses as he notices Yosuke shaking again, and he anticipates the worst. "Let's focus back on right now, okay? Can you… name something that's keeping you here?"

While Yu  _ means _ "something that's keeping him in the moment", Yosuke's brain doesn't pick up on that. "My… my family-- I didn't wanna come out to Inaba. I don't wanna be stuck here forever."

Realizing he's asked the wrong question, Yu backtracks. "Okay. Can you name something you can see right now?"

"Your shirt." One of Yosuke's hands tightens around the fabric, and he pulls it lightly. "Soft. Feels nice." He starts rubbing some of it between his fingers, completely engrossed in not only the smell and feel of Yu, holding him so close, but his voice, so clear and understanding amongst the chittering of his brain going overtime.

"Alright, what about… what's the main thing you can feel right now?"

"My foot hurts." Yosuke mumbles, shaking the offending foot. "I know it's bleeding."

"Bleeding?" Yu sounds surprised. "Alright, hold still, okay? I've got some bandages on me."

Yu pulls back from holding Yosuke, slipping the shoe off of Yosuke's foot-- the entire sole of the shoe is bloodied, along with the sock, and Yu carefully pulls it off of him, trying to get a good look at the damage. "Oh. We're gonna need to clean this. Hold on." Yu goes digging into his bag again, this time bringing out the bandages, and-- something else. Yosuke can't focus long enough to tell what it is, but when he feels something cold against his foot, followed by a  _ sting _ , he knows it has to be something to clean his wound out. He'd basically ignored it this morning-- just taken off the towel, not bothered cleaning it-- and he's regretting his choice, somewhat. On another level, he's enjoying spending time with Yu, despite the fact his brain is crashing and burning.

"Hey, does that feel alright?" Yu speaks softly, and Yosuke nods. 

"Stings a little." He mumbles.

"That just means it's helping." There's a small smile on Yu's face, and he looks up at Yosuke. "Holding in there?"

"Yeah. I…" He stops for a moment. "Sorry. About all this. I just had a… a bad night."

Yu doesn't want to push for details. Yosuke will tell him when he's ready, he's sure. "You're here now. And we're all gonna be okay. Do you… wanna spend the night at mine? Dojima isn't home right now. It'd just be me, you, and Nanako."

"I couldn't. I… I want to, but I just… couldn't. My family would get suspicious-- not that we're doing anything." Yosuke lets out a halfhearted chuckle. "I can handle it-- I just wanna hang out with you during work. Makes it easier when you're around."

"...I'm glad. I'll happily come to work with you-- especially to make sure you don't get soaked on the way there." Yu smiles a little brighter. "Guessing we're not going back to lessons, huh?"

Yosuke thinks for a moment. "Maybe after lunch. I haven't-- uh… eaten since yesterday, so getting something to eat could be nice." Another halfhearted chuckle. "That and it means we can avoid everywhere loud."

"Yeah. If we had the chance, I'd suggest we go out into town now, but I think it's too late. Somebody might catch us-- and Dojima already doesn't want me skipping more classes." Yu sits back next to Yosuke after bandaging his foot, putting his arm around his shoulder again. "I didn't see Chie or Yukiko on the way up-- d'you know if they're alright?"

"...they're fine." Yosuke leans into Yu, his head resting against Yu's. "I walked half of the way to school with them."

"Only half?"

"Wanted to go faster. We were all stuck under the same umbrella, too-- Chie forgot hers. Thought it'd be easier on Yukiko if I wasn't there."

_ You think it'd be easier on  _ **_everyone_ ** _ if you weren't there. There wouldn't be anyone holding them back. _ A voice says in the back of his head. Yosuke tries to ignore it.

"Oh-- don't word it like that." Yu rubs Yosuke's shoulder. "You were making sure there was enough space for Chie! And that's honourable."

Yosuke stifles a little laugh. "Honourable? Yeah, with Jiraiya, I must look like the frog prince."

_ You don't even have Jiraiya anymore. And you don't have the confidence to admit it. _

"So would a kiss turn you into a frog, or into a prince?"

"A-- a prince,  _ duh _ !" Yosuke's laughing loudly. Loud enough, he hopes, to push his Shadow away. "I mean-- Jiraiya's a frog! So if I get a kiss, I turn into a prince!"

"Jiraiya's a frog, yeah, but  _ you aren't.  _ So would you still turn into a prince?" Yu tilts his head slightly, and Yosuke almost headbutts him. Yu almost has to stop himself from voicing his next thought.  _ Do you want to find out? _

"Does the frog prince turn back into a frog after becoming a prince and getting kissed again?" Yosuke asks, and Yu shakes his head. "Then I wouldn't turn into a frog  _ anyway! _ " As he laughs, Yosuke slings his arm around Yu's shoulder, still leaning against him. "Man, you're the best. I'm glad I met you."

Yu smiles. “I’m glad we met.”

The idyllic silence lasts for a few minutes, though Yosuke’s brain is still going as fast as ever. He’s the one to break it.

“Hold on, with the kissing thing, if I’m not a frog, and I’m like the frog prince, then am I already a prince?” When he turns to look at Yu, he realizes exactly how close they are.  _ Don’t-- don’t kiss him now. That’d be weird. And don’t ask him to kiss you. That’d be weirder. _

“I think that’s up to you.” Yu turns his head only slightly, but Yosuke can see that he’s still smiling. “I’m sure we’ll find out someday.”

Before Yosuke can ask what Yu means, there’s the sound of somebody coming up the stairs. Neither of them can move fast enough to actually figure out where to hide-- if it’s a teacher, the two of them are  _ fucked _ for sure--

“Oh!  _ There  _ you guys are!”

The stomping footsteps all make sense now. Chie grins brightly at the two of them, and Yosuke flushes. He’s lucky that Yu isn’t looking at him anymore-- he’s sure he’d notice the blush.

“Ms. Sofue was  _ boring _ , so when she wasn’t looking, I  _ kinda _ snuck out to find out where you guys were.” Chie moves closer. “Mind if I join you?”

“Oh, you’re asking this time?” Yosuke huffs out a tiny laugh.

“Hey! Just for that--” Chie sits down next to Yosuke. “ _ You _ have to deal with me now!”

“ **_Hey!_ ** There’s not enough space for all three of us up here!” Yosuke’s arm tightens a little around Yu. “How did you even  _ find _ us anyway? Without getting caught, I mean.”

“Weeeell, I kinda had to guess. You didn’t have your headphones this morning, so I guessed you’d have gone somewhere quiet.” Chie pulls her phone from her pocket. “I asked Kanji if you were on first floor, since he’s roaming the corridors again today, and he said no, and that he hadn’t seen you at all. So I knew you had to be upwards from our floor.”

“With deduction skills like this, it’s a wonder we hadn’t found the killer sooner.” Yu leans forward slightly, so he can see Chie. “So how did you know we were up here  _ in particular? _ ”

“ _ Duh! _ I heard your voices!” Chie crosses her arms, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You guys were talking about princes! So  _ I  _ wondered if you were reminiscing about Yukiko’s castle. Now I’m here!”

_ Yeah, and ruining a perfect day spent with my partner. _ Yosuke’s caught off guard by his own thoughts.  _ Wait. Am I jealous? _

_ That can’t be right. There's nothing to be jealous of. I… just like hanging out with Yu. That's it. _

“Well, it’s good to see you--” Yu cuts himself off. “Is Yukiko still in the lesson?”

Chie jolts, before she scratches her neck sheepishly. “Well, funny you should say that…” She starts fumbling with her phone, and Yosuke watches as she calls Yukiko’s number. “I’m gonna pretend to be like her mom or something-- so she can skip the lesson too.”

“Chie! What if we  _ all _ get caught?!” Yosuke does a double take. “Just me and Yu skipping is fine-- but you two as well?! Somebody’s gonna notice!”

“We’ll be  _ fine! _ Trust me. Now shut up!” Chie’s voice changes tone so drastically, it even surprises Yu. “Hey, Yukiko? Leave the lesson and come towards the roof. We’re hanging out!”

“That’s not--  _ Chie, this isn’t gonna work! _ ”

“Oh, reeaally? Then why’s Yukiko on her way, then?” Chie hangs up, putting her phone back into her pocket. “You don’t believe  _ anything _ , do you, Yosuke? You think we can’t sneak out of lessons? It’s Ms. Sofue! She doesn’t  _ ever _ notice!”

“I mean-- neither do I, I just fall asleep until one of you nudges me awake.” Yosuke shrugs. “Why do we all have to hang out  _ here _ , though? There’s like-- no space.”

“Hey, Yu, shuffle over a bit so Yukiko can sit down when she gets here.”

Yu can’t even find it in himself to argue, just shuffling along the stairs and pulling Yosuke with him. “Come on, if we’re hanging out, we may as well do it together.”

Yosuke sighs. “Alright,  _ fine, _ but if it gets too loud, I’m going out onto the roof without an umbrella.”

“Not on my watch, you’re not.” Yu squeezes his shoulder. “You might think that I’m stuck with you, but it’s the other way around…” Yu’s voice goes quiet, so only Yosuke can hear him. “Partner.”

That alone almost makes Yosuke  _ combust. _ He looks away from Yu-- and Chie can see exactly how bright the blush on his face is, and she grins knowingly.  _ I can’t tell him. I can’t tell him. He doesn’t feel the same way.  _

“Oh! I-- I didn’t expect  _ all _ of us to be up here.” Yukiko’s voice alleviates the tension in the stairwell, and she sits herself next to Chie. “Yosuke, how’s your foot?”

“...Yu cleaned and bandaged it.”

“I’m gonna stay with him the whole day. Make sure he doesn’t push himself too far.” Yu smiles, though he glances at the shoe, still sat on the step below. “We might need to clean the shoe, though. The sock’s too far gone.”

“Ah, that’s a lot of blood.” Yukiko sighs. “If we were in the Midnight Channel, I could get Konohana Sakuya to heal you with a Diarama--”

“Yeah-- I mean, I could’ve gotten Jiraiya to heal me with just a Dia. It’s not  _ that _ bad, I promise.” Yosuke waves his hand dismissively, which Yu shakes his head at.

“It’s bad enough that I’m going to be helping you walk around for today.” Yu's hand rubs Yosuke's shoulder gently.

"I-- hey, I don't wanna be a bother. You really don't have to, partner."  _ I don't want you to give up your time for  _ **_me._ ** _ I'm not worth it. _ "Besides, if we've got someone about to be taken into the Midnight Channel, then we'll need to be quick finding information about them. I don't wanna slow you down." Despite his forced smile, Yosuke's sure that Yu can sense his insincerity--  _ he knows you're lying to him. He knows you're playing it down to seem tough. _

"Relax, dude. Geez. We've got  _ all _ of tomorrow to get information!" Chie rolls her eyes at Yosuke, and he turns away from her.

"I checked the forecast. It's going to rain tomorrow as well-- if people aren't in the shopping district, then we won't be able to talk to anyone--" Yukiko seems to sigh. "We may need to wait and watch the Midnight Channel again, to get a better sense of who is inside."

"Maybe. But rumours spread around  _ easily _ here. Maybe we can get info from other students? Who knows what they might know?" Chie's throwing ideas out there, and Yu nods.

"We'll do what we can. As for you, Yosuke…" Yu finally moves his arm-- Yosuke doesn't want him to. "Like I said, I'm gonna make sure you don't overdo it. Being down a teammate won't help us."

_ He views you as a teammate-- nothing more. _ The voice in his head sneers.  _ There's no reason he  _ **_would_ ** _ view you as more. You're a coward, and he's saying these things to make you feel better. _

"...Thanks, partner." Yosuke squeezes Yu's shoulder, just like he'd done before, before his arm slips away from him, resting on his lap. He wants to be touching him, still-- the tiny amount of contact their shoulders have  _ isn't  _ enough. "I… think we might need to move."

"Why?" Yukiko raises an eyebrow.

"A… hunch. I think." Yosuke leans forwards, as if he's trying to see down the stairs. "I think somebody's coming."

His hand tightens on Yu's jacket, as if he's looking for comfort-- and Yu's hand catches his own, holding him gently. Yosuke just thinks it's great that their hands are hidden from view. 

Once again, the sound of footsteps makes the four go silent, waiting to find out if they're about to be yelled at by a teacher for skipping lessons. Yukiko and Chie are glancing at each other, Yosuke is straining his ears to try and figure out who is about to find them-- and Yu squeezes Yosuke's hand, offering him a gentle, comforting smile. Whatever happens, he wants Yosuke to know that he's there for him. After what seems like forever, there's a sign as to who's on their way.

"Yeah, I saw Chie-senpai earlier-- said somethin' about lookin' for Yosuke and Senpai. You checked second floor, right?"

Isn't that Kanji?

"Mmhm! I think they're up here, for sure. I don't need Himiko to tell me that!" The next voice is much more bubbly and upbeat, and Yosuke almost pales.

Rise, too.

The two round the corner, and upon seeing them, Rise grins brightly. "Senpais! I knew you'd be up here, but Moronji thought you were somewhere near the gym." She throws a teasing look to Kanji, who huffs.

"Yeah, well, I was thinkin' about where I go when I don't want teachers findin' me. Why're we here?"

"Just hanging out." Chie pats the step she's sitting on. "Come join!"

Rise makes a beeline to sit next to Yu. "I'm sitting next to Senpai!"

_ Jealous. Jealous. Am I jealous? Jealous of the attention Rise gives to Yu? I want to be what he focuses on. I want to be what Rise is-- to him. _ Yosuke grits his teeth.

Kanji sits between him and Yukiko, shifting about a little. "This fine for you guys?"

"Oh, absolutely. It's nice for us all to get together somewhere that  _ isn't  _ Junes." Yukiko smiles, and Kanji scratches the back of his neck.

"I guess. What about you, Yosuke-senpai?"

"It's fine." He says curtly, and Kanji tilts his head slightly. Obviously, based on that tone alone, it  _ isn't  _ fine-- but it's not like there's anywhere else he can sit.

"So, how long have you been skipping lessons, senpais?" Rise leans forwards, so she can see just about everyone.

"Well, Yu and Yosuke have skipped every lesson today-- Yukiko and I only got here about twenty minutes ago." Chie explains, and Rise nods.

"Aw, Senpai's being bad and skipping lessons?" Something about Rise's tone makes Yosuke grit his teeth harder. His jaw is starting to ache. "Well, you should tell me more often! Then we can spend time together!"

_ Yeah. Like  _ **_I_ ** _ was spending time with  _ **_my_ ** _ partner until everyone else showed up.  _ Yosuke holds back from snapping out-- it's getting too crowded here.

"I was skipping to help Yosuke. I'm not making a habit of this." Yu says gently. Hopefully Rise won't say anything  _ odd. _

"Aw, not even for me?" Rise's holding Yu's arm-- Yosuke can barely hold back his… anger?

_ Or are you jealous? _

He quickly slips the bloodied shoe back onto his foot, and he lets go of Yu's hand as he stands.

"Yosuke-senpai?" Kanji tries to ask, but without a word, Yosuke limps down the stairs and out of sight. He glances between everyone else on the stairs, watching as Yu gently detaches Rise from his arm, before following after Yosuke. A tense silence settles between them, now-- nobody wants to say anything.

"So… is Yosuke-senpai more jealous recently, or is that just me?" Rise shuffles along the step. "He seems really…  _ defensive. _ "

"He's had a rough day." Yukiko turns to Chie again. "Did you tell everyone that Yosuke was at the inn last night?"

"...is that why you texted me?" Chie puts her head in her hands. "I had no idea-- sorry, Yukiko."

"He was at the inn?" Kanji raises an eyebrow. "Like… I saw him go home last night, though."

"He ran from home." Chie says, simply. "He's… it's best for me not to say." She seems to scratch her neck. "I'd be breaking a promise if I did."

"So… where do you think they went?" Rise starts, and Kanji shakes his head.

"No, we're gonna leave 'em alone. Text Senpai if you wanna talk to him, but if Yosuke needs time alone, leave 'em." Kanji stands. "I'm gonna go back to lookin' around for clues. Haven't seen Naoto all day-- wonderin' where he's at."

Chie seems to hum in thought, and Kanji starts walking down the stairs. Before he's out of sight, however, Chie speaks up. "Kanji, if you don't see Naoto at all, text me."

"Huh? Sure thing, Chie-senpai. No problem." He waves to the three of them, and once again, Rise shuffles across the step.

"So, like… is Yosuke  _ okay? _ I noticed the blood, and the shoes…"

"He says he's fine. I  _ personally  _ don't think he is, but he won't talk about it." Chie shrugs. "I'm just leaving him to hang out with Yu all day. He wants to, I'm not gonna stop him."

"I noticed he reacted… weirdly, to you, Rise." Yukiko says, suddenly. "Why do you think that is?"

"Well, he's told me before that he's a Risette fan-- it's only been a few months since you guys rescued me, so maybe he just hasn't adjusted yet?" She places a hand on her chin. "That or it's something else! He's jealous, right? Maybe he's jealous of how I talk to Senpai?"

"As in, you think he wishes you… talked to  _ him _ like that?" Chie sounds unconvinced. "Nah, that  _ can't _ be it-- right?"

Yukiko shakes her head. “He’s been acting sort of weirdly since last night. I was talking to him while he was staying at the inn, and he’s just been… kind of quiet.”

“He  _ seemed  _ just fine when I caught him up here with Yu. I guess he’s just struggling to come out of the sensory overload. I know he was saying it kind of jokingly-- that he was going to go out onto the roof if it got too loud-- but who knows?” Chie pulls her phone from her pocket again, typing a message to Yosuke. “I’ll text him, and he’ll check it whenever he gets the chance.”

“Yeah, it’s odd to see Yosuke-senpai so quiet. He’s always loud and excitable. Like a puppy.” Rise takes a moment to think. “Yukiko-senpai, how else has he been acting weirdly?”

“Well, this morning he was covering his chest the entire time I was in the room.” Yukiko begins, and Chie’s eyes widen. She  _ knows _ why he’s doing that-- but she can’t tell them. “And he’s been acting kind of just… unlike himself. I thought it might be to do with stress, or the fact that we haven’t been into the TV recently. Maybe he just needs to let go of something in there.”

Rise hums. “Let go of something? Like how we accepted our Shadows?”

“Well-- Yosuke’s already accepted his Shadow. He was the first of us to-- not counting Yu.” Chie doesn’t look up from her phone. “I was the second. I mean-- our Shadows  _ become _ our Personas-- and he has Jiraiya. He likes his… frog-thing.”

“I think Jiraiya’s kinda funky.” Rise nods. “But I like Himiko. After all, she’s part of me!”

“Are you saying that Yosuke is part frog-thing?” Chie raises her eyebrows. “And that--”

“I think that Konohana Sakuya and I have a lot of similarities. In fact, a lot of us have similarities with our Persona.” Yukiko places her hand onto Chie’s arm. “We shouldn’t overthink this.”

“...you’re right. I’m sure Yosuke’s just had a rough day, running away from home. I  _ think _ he has to work tonight, too.”

“You’re kidding, he’s gonna go to work in a state like  _ that? _ ” Rise raises her voice a little too much. “He’s gonna  _ break _ something! What’s he  _ thinking?! _ ”

“By the looks of it, Yu is going to go with him. Hopefully he’ll prevent any accidents.” Yukiko quickly checks her phone. “Oh-- dear, we should get back to lessons before somebody  _ really _ notices we’re all missing.” She stands, gently taking Chie’s hand without her asking and pulling her to standing as well. “Be careful, Rise.”

“Will do! I’ll go back to lessons after I text a few people. I’ve got some thoughts.” She waves to the two of them as they leave, pulling her phone from her pocket and texting Kanji.

**< SATELLITE HEAD>: ** moronji have u seen senpai and yosuke-senpai yet?   
**< SATELLITE HEAD>:** got a hunch about them   
**< SATELLITE HEAD>:** do you think theyre. Yknow

**< tatsumi’m gay>:** do i think theyre what   
**< tatsumi’m gay>:** what are you sayin

**< SATELLITE HEAD>: ** dyou think theyre gay?   
**< SATELLITE HEAD>: ** liiiiike you saw yosuke senpai

**< tatsumi’m gay>:** hey it aint my place to say   
**< tatsumi’m gay>:** personally? i think somethings goin on   
**< tatsumi’m gay>:** dont as k me   
**< tatsumi’m gay>:** havnet seen em either   
**< tatsumi’m gay>:** no naoto eithr

**< SATELLITE HEAD>: ** ok thx well i was just wondering   
**< SATELLITE HEAD>: ** ill look 4 naoto too but i should go to lessons

**< tatsumi’m gay>:** aight   
**< tatsumi’m gay>:** thnx

Rise stands, glancing out the window towards the roof. It’s pouring outside-- and she knows it isn’t gonna let up for the next two days. With a stretch, she starts walking down the stairs, aiming to get back onto the first floor. Hopefully everything’s gonna be alright-- Naoto will turn up, Yosuke will stop acting like a jealous puppy, and things will be  _ just _ fine for when they go back into the Midnight Channel. God knows that Himiko can feel when things are off.

“I don’t really know what’s up with everyone, but this is a  _ mess. _ Autumn’s going to feel like it’s lasting  _ forever. _ ” She mumbles to herself, trying to pretend she hasn’t just skipped a lesson. “I hope Senpai has a better idea of what’s about to happen-- because it doesn’t look like any of us do.”

Now. Where could Naoto be?


	3. September 14th - Lunchtime / After School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The struggle of eating in front of your crush is only accentuated by your own issues eating - but that's not the worst thing that's going to happen today. Yosuke knows that'll come from seeing his father at work.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you’d go out into the rain.” Yu is walking beside Yosuke out of the front gate of Yasogami High-- while Yosuke’s arm is around his shoulders, the arm that  _ would _ be around Yosuke in turn is instead holding an umbrella decorated with Jack Frost’s likeness. It’s keeping them dry, at least.

“And you weren’t when you said you’d come with me.” Yosuke mumbles. His arm might go numb here, but he doesn’t care. He just needs to hold onto Yu right now.

“So, where are we going, partner?” Yu’s careful about his words-- after what Yosuke said earlier about his family, he needs to make sure he doesn’t set him off worse.

“...work. Promised dad a few nights ago I’d work the week, after school.”

“It’s lunchtime, though. How about we get something to eat first?” Yu offers. "You said you were hungry earlier. Do you think you could eat?"

Yosuke gives a noncommittal hum as an answer.

"I know Aiya has the rainy day special-- the mega beef bowl. It's too much for one guy, sure, but we could share it." As the words leave Yu's mouth, Yosuke looks up at him.

"Sh… share it? From the same bowl?"

"I-- sure. If that's what you wanted." Admittedly, Yu had been thinking about asking them to split the portion into two bowls-- but maybe sharing from the same bowl would feel nicer. "So, should we head that way?"

"...yeah. A meal with you would be nice." He squeezes Yu’s shoulder-- his limp is getting a little worse. Hopefully sitting down and eating will help ease that pain before he needs to work. “I can pay--”

“No, I will. You’ve treated me a lot since we met, I wanna repay the favour.” The sincerity to Yu’s smile makes Yosuke blush just slightly, and he leans into him a little further.

“Thanks, partner. I don’t know how I survived here without you.” Yosuke grins, nudging himself into Yu. “I mean-- you say I’ve treated you like  _ you _ haven’t treated me. You’re helping me become… a better version of myself.”  _ And even if there’s parts of me I can’t admit to anyone, yet, I know you’ll… I  _ **_hope_ ** _ you’ll be there. _ “Seriously, dude. Getting a Persona is like… only the second best thing to happen to me, because top spot is taken by  _ meeting _ you. None of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t!”

“I remember your Shadow talking about how you were… bored in Inaba. I want to make sure you don’t feel bored again.” Yu quickly swaps which hand he’s holding the umbrella with, putting his arm around Yosuke.

Yosuke feels like he’s been struck in the chest with something sharp-- _Yu’s going out of his way to make sure_ ** _I_** _don’t feel bored… is it selfish for me to want that? Selfish to want more?_ \-- “Hey, you’re doing a great job. Nothing’s boring when you’re around!” With his other hand, Yosuke scratches the back of his head. “Y’know, it’s because of you that… I’ve got more friends. And I feel closer to Chie and Yukiko than I did before-- and I mean, I’d _never_ have imagined becoming friends with not only Kanji, but _Rise_ too. It’s just… it’s like you’re a fairytale prince. Everything’s perfect when you’re around.” _You’re_ ** _my_** _fairytale prince. Or… I wish you were._

Yu just chuckles at that. “So, considering our earlier conversation, we’re  _ both _ princes?”

“Yeah! I’m a frog prince, and you’re a proper fairytale prince! You’ve got the looks, the leaderlike qualities, and I mean, girls must  _ love _ you, right?” It hurts him to say that. “Still. Nothing wrong with two princes hanging out.” 

Yu seems to pause for a moment. “If Naoto’s the Detective Prince, then that means it’s just Kanji who doesn’t seem to have princelike status…”

“Hey, you remember he’s a  _ legend _ , right? Beating up biker gangs while in  _ middle school? _ The dude’s  _ absolutely _ a prince of sorts.” Yosuke stops. “Man, I see why Chie thought we were talking about Yukiko’s dungeon now.”

“I guess so.” Yu shrugs. “Judging by her texts, though, I think she’s found her prince.”

“For real?!” Yosuke grins brightly. “She’s told you who she likes? Man-- I can’t believe  _ you’re _ getting told all the hot gossip, and I’m just learning it through you!” He checks his phone for a moment; there’s a text from Chie, but it’s practically out of battery. He can’t afford to check it. “All I get is like-- I mean, your texts, Chie sending me stupid memes, sometimes Kanji and I talk-- it’s weird that  _ you’re _ becoming the go-to for gossip. Chie used to be all up on gossip, no matter who it was about.”

“I can imagine-- it  _ was _ her who told us about the Midnight Channel rumour.” Another shrug from Yu. “I guess people just trust me. I like being approachable.”

“You’re  _ super _ approachable, partner! I mean, you’re like-- so easy to get on with. You make everybody feel comfortable, and everyone wants to hang out with you-- and I mean, that’s what I think. Spending time with you is the best part of any day.”

“I like spending time with you, too. It’s refreshing.” Yu spins the umbrella in his hand. “We’re almost at Aiya. Do you wanna try walking on your own, or…?”

While normally Yosuke would argue for as long as possible that he’s  _ fine, _ that he doesn’t need help, he just shakes his head, looking down. “Nah. It’s not worth it.” He sounds a little dejected, however. “I don’t need to act super manly in front of you. You know me too well.”

“Does that mean you don’t feel like you  _ need _ to act manly, or you feel like I’d see through it, no matter what?”

“I mean… you’ve pretty much been able to figure out the truth this  _ whole _ time. You always know what to say-- I wonder how the hell I’m even meant to compete.” His quiet admittance is uncharacteristic. “Y’know?”

While Yu doesn’t respond, Yosuke continues. “It’s like… girls must be  _ lining up _ to date you, right? You’re the cool new transfer student, you’re smooth, and you know what to say-- and I’m just the awkward son of the Junes manager. Unless I really… y’know, step out there, I’ll only ever get pity-dated.” As the silence drags on, Yosuke lets out an awkward laugh-- a loud one. “Sorry-- that was  _ weird _ of me to say. I think I’ve just… had time to give it thought, I guess.”

Yu gently lifts his arm away from Yosuke, folding up his umbrella and gently motioning him towards the door to Aiya. “Hey, you first. We can talk about this over food, okay?”

“Yeah-- yeah, that’d be nice. I wanna sit down.” Yosuke removes his arm from Yu, wincing hard as he limps into Aiya. “That hurts more than I remember.”

As soon as he’s shaken the rain off of his umbrella and hooked it over his bag, Yu’s back beside Yosuke, guiding him a lot more subtly. “That’s because I’ve been helping you the whole way here. Don’t put too much weight on it, okay?”

Yosuke steps hard onto his hurt foot, and his voice comes out as a sharp hiss. “I-- I know, partner.”  _ Please, don’t start treating me like an idiot. I don’t want pity. _ “Sorry-- hurts.”

The two sit at a table somewhere deeper in the building, far away from prying eyes. Somewhere that feels a lot more… comfortable. Once they’re settled, Yosuke sighs, lifting his hurt foot up and onto the chair, and he tucks it close.

“You holding up alright?” Yu’s voice is almost drowned out by the sounds of other people around them, and Yosuke moves both of his hands to cover his ears. In his irritability, he doesn’t think about what he’s saying.

“Stop  _ babying _ me.” His eyes are shut tight, hands pressing hard against his ears to cut off the noise. “I’m not a  _ kid. _ ”

_ You talk like that to him, and you wonder why everyone’s gonna leave you behind. All the information’s right in front of you-- you’re too emotional, too prone to snapping, too…  _ **_Yosuke._ **

After a few minutes of silence-- or, what Yosuke thinks is silence-- he finally braves opening an eye. He can smell something good nearby, and as his vision focuses, he can see Yu, halfway through a mouthful of what he assumes must be the rainy day beef bowl. When Yu notices him gingerly moving a hand away from his ears, he smiles, gently pushing the bowl across the table towards him.

“Have as much as you’d like.”

Yosuke mumbles out his thanks-- likely too quiet for Yu to even  _ hear _ him-- before he focuses on the bowl in front of him. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen so much rice and beef in one place-- and he’s surprised it even fits inside the bowl. “...d’you have this often?”

“Huh? Well… it takes a lot to finish one. I’ve only managed it once.” Yu seems to chuckle gently, and Yosuke raises his eyebrows. 

_ Trust him to know how to finish something like this. Think I’d need a stomach like Chie’s. _

“Cool.” Is what he manages to get out, internally damning himself for saying something so…  _ stupid. _

The silence between them picks back up as Yosuke eats; Yu’s checking things on his phone--  _ probably messages from Rise, or something. _ \-- and the diner around them seems to at least be settling enough that Yosuke doesn’t feel like every single one of his senses is being held against a burning hotplate. Eating doesn't feel good, but with Yu here, he's forcing himself to, each struggled mouthful somehow feeling worse and worse. Why does eating feel so bad? Why does he feel as if everything's conspiring against him today? When Yu looks up at him again, Yosuke forces up a smile, which Yu doesn't return.

_ Why's he looking at me like that? _

"Yosuke…" Yu's voice, still quiet, betrays a little of the emotion starting to become clearer on his face. He's not  _ worried, _ he's… sad. "I'm sorry I was… babying you, as you said."

"I thaid that?" Yosuke speaks through a mouthful of rice. Before he speaks again, he swallows. "I don't… remember saying that."

_ You're lying. _

"I care about you, Yosuke. That's why I'm worrying-- but if you think I'm too overbearing, then I'll back off, no questions asked." Yu offers a sad smile. "If I could get your family to listen to me, I'd argue that you needed to rest today, not go to work."

"Hey, I'd argue too, if I didn't know how they'd respond already." Yosuke looks down into the bowl again. "It's not worth worrying about. We've got a murderer to catch-- and somebody's sure to be in the Midnight Channel tonight."

"Of course it's worth worrying about.  _ You're  _ worth worrying about." Yu reaches across the table, gently resting his hand on Yosuke's. When they lock eyes, Yu can see a certain weariness to Yosuke's expression that he's not used to. "Let's just talk. Is there anything you need to get off your chest?"

Yosuke snorts. "Yeah, but not in the way you mean." At Yosuke's comment, Yu tilts his head somewhat. "Don't-- don't worry about it."

"If you're sure." Yu squeezes his hand. "I'm here for you, you know?"

"...thanks, partner." Yosuke sighs, and he pushes the bowl back across the table. "Alright, you're up. I can't do any more."

"Tabbing me in like we're some kind of wrestling tag team." Yu smiles a little more happily, now, and Yosuke tries to match it.

"You're the only one I'd trust as my tag team partner."

Before he starts eating again, Yu looks at Yosuke. "You gotten any texts recently? I think everyone's wondering where we are."

"Chie texted me earlier, but my phone's deader than a Shadow. I can't check what she even said." Yosuke raises his eyebrows again. "You had anything important?"

"...just Kanji worrying about Naoto. Apparently nobody's seen him all day."

Yosuke swallows thickly. "You don't think he's…" Before he can finish his thought, however, Yosuke shakes his head. "No. Nah--! No way. Naoto's a detective, he's gotta be good enough to…"

“You think that Naoto’s been taken?” Yu quickly sends a message to Kanji about Yosuke’s thoughts. “Why would they take him?”

“He was… giving us a hint, right? When we last saw him? And he went on TV… if I think about this…” Yosuke pulls his phone out almost naturally, looking at the dark screen and cursing his  _ stupidity. _ “Dammit! I had a note on my phone which has all the information I was putting together about all of the victims…” He puts his phone down on the table, patting the side of his head like it’s going to help him remember. “Partner! I need you to uh-- brainstorm with me!”

“Sure thing, what’s your thoughts?”

“Naoto was giving us a hint! The prince has figured it out, but if he’s missing, then I have to figure it out-- I guess that’s something I’m useful for.” With a shake of his head, he focuses back on the task at hand. “So, we thought that it was to do with the victims being female, but after Kanji we turned that one down. It’s like there’s nothing that links them all together, right?”

“Right? We have to think about what could connect them, even something… small.” Yu says, and Yosuke nods vigorously-- too vigorously.

“Exactly, partner! Let’s start with Ms. Yamano. She’d been on the news because of her affair.”

“Nasty.”

“Right. Dunno why you’d ever cheat-- but whatever! She was an announcer, right? A news lady? And then the next victim was Saki-senpai. She was just a highschool student, so what links them both?”

“Saki found the body.”

“She did, yeah, but then  _ why _ would Yukiko be taken next? Yukiko had no link to Saki-senpai.”

“But she had a link to Kanji.” Yu interjects. “They were friends-- before all this, I mean. Yukiko said that herself.”

“Right. So that means that,  _ assuming _ Naoto’s in the TV, there should be a link between him and Rise?” He's ignoring Mitsuo for a reason. Something's different about what happened to him.

“Both out-of-towners?”

“No, Naoto lives on an estate somewhere nearby. Kanji told me that. He helped him home a couple nights back, and ran into me on the way back into town. Told me why he was out there.” Yosuke scratches his head. “So what would link them?”

“Fame?” Yu offers, and Yosuke pauses.

“Fame. Yeah. Naoto and Rise are famou--” He stops mid sentence, as if everything’s starting to sort out in his head. “Famous. They’re all… famous. Right? Everyone who got taken was  _ famous! _ ”

“Saki?”

“She  _ found _ Ms. Yamano’s body! Therefore she was famous on our loca-- local… news. Hold on.” Yosuke looks through his pockets for a moment. “D’you have a pen on you? I need to write this down--”

“What are you gonna write it on…?” Yu checks his pockets, producing a pen and holding it towards Yosuke.

“My arm! It’ll help me remember!” He’s quick to scribble things down on his arm, almost incomprehensibly from this distance. It must all make sense to him, though. “So they’re locally famous, because they appeared on the news… the Midnight Channel has everyone’s Shadows, which are their true selves… and it’s  _ inside _ the TV…”

“They all… appeared on TV before they ended up in the Midnight Channel.” Yu recalls not only a conversation like this back in June-- when they’d saved Kanji-- but also with Naoto, only a few days ago. Maybe Yosuke’s forgotten. He can’t exactly blame him, considering everything that’s going on.

Yosuke grins brightly. “Right on, partner! That’s what I was thinking!” Yosuke finishes up writing on his arm, and he starts biting the end of the pen. “That must have been what Naoto was trying to tell us! He went on TV to  _ prove _ his own hypothesis!” Yosuke makes a noise almost close to a sigh-- but a relieved one. “Man, that Detective Prince sure knows what he’s doing.”

“You’re saying that like we didn’t just brainstorm through it? Yosuke, you’re  _ amazing. _ ” Once again, Yu’s texting somebody-- probably the rest of the team to let them know what Yosuke’s figured out. “So if someone appears on TV, they’ll appear on the Midnight Channel. We just have to guess which famous face it’ll be next?”

“That’ll be a breeze! I’m sure after Naoto’s all fine, we’ll find out quick as a flash. Man, now I’m  _ pumped _ to go into the TV.” Yosuke’s grin is disguising the fact he’s still fearful of what Yu will say about his rogue Shadow. He’s still repressing that part of himself. “Alright, I know I’ve got work, but from tomorrow onwards, let’s make every hit count!”

Yu seems to be quietly contemplating something in the bowl, and Yosuke tilts his head. “Something up, partner?”

“Hm? No-- we should get moving towards Junes. School would almost be over now-- maybe if we get to Junes early, we’ll be able to be ready before the rush hits.”

“Hey, good thinking! Uh-- did you finish the beef bowl?”

“Oh, yeah. But since I shared it with you, the challenge is pretty much nulled anyway. I paid ahead of time.” Yu stands, and he moves across to Yosuke, offering his hand. “Is your foot alright?”

“Still hurts, but I’m alright.” Yosuke takes Yu’s hand, pulling himself to standing. It doesn’t hurt so much to walk on-- but maybe that’s because his leg’s sort of numb. “Let’s get to Junes.”

“Yeah, let’s. And if we’re lucky, Adachi won’t be there to tell Dojima I skipped-- though I doubt he would. I haven’t told Dojima  _ any _ of the times I’ve seen him there.”

“You  _ hang out _ with that guy?” Yosuke sounds disgusted. “Man, he’s  _ weird. _ I don’t know what it is, I just don’t like him.” He sticks his tongue out as if he’d just eaten something nasty. “He buys all the fresh cabbages, too. Teddie and I have taken to calling him the cabbage menace.” There’s a small stifled giggle. “Though sometimes Ted just calls him cabbage muncher. He almost caught us calling him that to his face.”

Yosuke sighs, as if disappointed. “At least some days working at Junes are kinda fun. I guess Teddie does liven the place up-- plus having a mascot brings people in.”

“Using Teddie as the mascot for Junes… what does he think about it?”

“Dude, he  _ loves _ it. He gets free food, and technically like me he gets the staff discount, but uh-- don’t tell anyone this, but since Ted literally doesn’t know where to keep his money, he keeps putting it in places people can find it. So, since he doesn’t  _ ever _ have money, either I buy stuff for him, or uh… sometimes I let him steal.” Yosuke seems to shrug. “I mean-- it’s basically the same thing. I lose money anyway.”

“Your pay gets cut when things get stolen?”

“Yeah. What sucks is that half the time, it’s not even my fault. Even on days I don’t work, when people steal things, I get paid less the next day. Guess dad knows he can get away with it.”

Yu looks worriedly at Yosuke, but says nothing more. As the two step out into the rain again, Yosuke looks up at the sky.

“Damn, is it raining harder? The fog and the clouds make it feel like it’s late as hell.”

“I guess so.” Pulling his umbrella back out, Yu holds it above Yosuke. “Let’s get to Junes as fast as we can, then. Being stuck out in this could be bad.”

“For sure. If my foot didn’t hurt, I’d race you.” Yosuke grins. “I bet I could beat you at that-- even if that  _ is _ the only thing I could beat you at.”

“Hey, you could beat me at a lot of things-- I mean, you’ve figured out what we think’s the next connection between all the victims. You figured that out, not me.” 

“You helped though, partner. You always help-- and I…”  _ Love you for that. _ “I’m glad you do! You make me feel like I can do anything.” Yosuke starts walking, and Yu stays where he is, blinking owlishly at Yosuke. When the rain starts hitting Yosuke, he turns around, reaching out and grabbing Yu’s hand. “Come on, partner! To Junes!”

Despite noticing Yosuke’s little hobble as he puts his weight onto his hurt foot, Yu smiles, starting to walk alongside Yosuke again. “To Junes!”

* * *

The walk to Junes is largely as most walks alongside Yu are-- comfortable, friendly, filled with conversation about anything-- and punctuated occasionally by an “ow” from Yosuke as he tries to walk. Yu’s glad to see Yosuke so happy, though he can tell there’s still something forced underneath all of it-- something he’s not fully willing to let anyone know about yet. He has no intention to pry into those details-- Yosuke will tell him when he’s ready. The general feel of Inaba slowly becomes less and less comfortable as time ticks onwards, the fog gets thicker, and Yosuke gets… quieter.

Like he’s afraid to say something. Afraid to break the silence with something clumsy-- so he just slips off of talking, forgetting whatever sentence he was halfway through, and just silently walking alongside Yu. He’s not even complaining about his foot anymore. With Yosuke’s silence, Yu goes silent too; it’s only right of him to respect whatever his friend is feeling, what he might believe will happen if they speak. It’s not a comfortable silence, however. Not like how it feels normally.

Something feels strained. Pushed away. Ignored. As much as Yu wants to ask what’s on Yosuke’s mind, he’s holding back from doing so. Yes, his friend’s wellbeing is important to him-- but Yosuke’s privacy is more important still, and he refuses to push any further than Yosuke would be comfortable with.

It’s only when they reach the door into Junes, and that ever-catchy, if infuriating jingle reaches their ears, Yosuke lets out a held breath, walking into the main part of the store without even waiting for Yu. It’s as if he’s working entirely on muscle memory, and Yu doesn’t even think to stop him.

As Yu shakes his umbrella out again, he turns to face where Yosuke is walking-- and Yosuke jolts to a stop, looking up at the ceiling, as if he’s aware of something being vaguely wrong. After a moment, he turns around, and suddenly seems much more relieved.

“Oh, man-- I forgot you were with me.”

“It’s okay. Both of us were pretty quiet--” Yu starts, but Yosuke just keeps talking.

“I don’t even know  _ how _ I did that-- man, I’m stupid sometimes. You were holding the umbrella, and you were  _ right _ next to me…” Yosuke sighs, but he forces out a small laugh. “Damn. I’m really not thinking today. This shift’s gonna feel like forever.”

Yu just nods. “Should we get moving?”

“Yeah--! Right, yeah, we need to get our uniforms on. You can put your stuff in my locker, like always! Dunno how long dad’s gonna want us to work for, but maybe with the two of us, it’ll be less!” He sounds hopeful. “But, maybe not. We’ll find out, I’m sure.”

Yosuke leads Yu through part of the store, towards a door labelled “Staff Only”. Producing a key from his pocket, Yosuke unlocks the door, pushing it open and letting Yu in first. The light flickers on as they step inside, and Yosuke walks towards his locker, changing to a different key and unlocking it.

“Put anything you need into here, partner. I’m gonna aim for the electrical section and hope I can just… charge my phone behind one of the display TVs. Ted should be around there, too, so we can meet up with him.” Yosuke pulls his jacket off, shoving it haphazardly into the top of the locker, and pulling out two aprons from the bottom compartment. “I keep a second apron in here just for you-- you know, since… I ask you to help me so much. It’s in your size! I made sure of it.” He holds the second apron out with a smile, and Yu takes it from him.

Yosuke seems to pause and watch as Yu takes his jacket off, pushing it and his bag into the locker alongside Yosuke’s jacket. Once Yu puts the apron on, however, Yosuke shakes his head a little, putting on his own apron and tying the back. “Okay, we both know our way to the electrical aisle, and I think we should stick together, so we don’t lose each other.”

Yu nods, watching silently as Yosuke once again locks his locker, slipping his key into the same pocket as his phone. He stretches a little as they walk, and Yosuke limps ahead of him, making his way carefully through aisles to avoid other people. After a  _ lot _ of avoidance, they arrive together in the electrical section, and Yosuke grabs a phone charger from the displays, leaning behind one of the TVs and plugging it in, making sure to hide his phone as efficiently as possible.

“Hey sensei! I didn’t expect to see  _ you _ here!” Teddie seems to come out of nowhere, absolutely  _ beaming _ at Yu. Though, his expression changes rapidly when he notices Yosuke-- or more, Yosuke’s legs. “Is that Yosuke?”

“Of course it is, you dumb bear!” Yosuke pulls himself away from the wall, stepping out of the TV displays. “Who  _ else _ would it be?”

“Well, I dunno! Maybe you’d convinced someone  _ else _ to do your work?”

“Shut up, Ted.” Yosuke straightens out his apron, moving towards Teddie and Yu. “Can’t believe I actually  _ missed _ you.”

“Aw, you missed me? I’m  _ flattered _ , Yosuke!”

Yosuke just rolls his eyes.

“Anyway! You’re just in time, I need to swap into my ‘costume’! Just give me a few moments.” Teddie practically leaps into the TV without even looking around, and Yosuke glances around in a panic.

“That dumb  _ bear! _ What if somebody  _ saw _ that?” Yosuke turns to Yu, and he simply shrugs.

“We’d have a whole lot to explain.” He turns back to the TV, just in time to watch Teddie tumble back out of it.

“See! Said I wouldn’t be long!” He stands up and brushes himself off, turning back to Yosuke. “Alright! All ready! Do you think we’ll see the cabbage muncher today?”

“I dunno. What do you think, partner?”

“I didn’t see him at the entrance-- plus I don’t think he’s free today. Dojima’s busy at work, and Adachi will…  _ hopefully _ be with him. Not that it ever means anything that Dojima’s working. Adachi slacks off all the time, apparently.”

“Adachy…? Man, he’s a  _ weird _ one! I have no idea what to think about him and his cabbage escapades.” Teddie seems to waddle up the aisle. “Yosuke! Where do we need to go?”

“I don’t know. Haven’t seen dad yet.” He grits his teeth. “I’m kinda dreading it.”

“Dreading it? Why?”

“I… didn’t stay home last night. I stayed at the Amagi Inn-- you know, where Yukiko lives?”

“Oh! I remember! Wow, you’re  _ lucky! _ I’d love to stay there…” As Teddie seems to go off on another daydream, Yu looks to Yosuke.

“You stayed at the inn…?”

“Oh-- yeah. Yeah, I did. I… just couldn’t handle being at home, you know?” Yosuke seems to chuckle. “It was just… man, I told you it was a  _ bad _ night. I didn’t… really think it through.”

“So that’s why you don’t have…  _ anything  _ on you, I guess?”

“Yep! No bag, no charge in my phone, no pens or anything… hell, not even my shoes. I borrowed these from Yukiko.” Yosuke seems a little bashful about that. “I don’t really wanna talk about it.”

“That’s okay. You don’t need to.” Yu smiles, and Yosuke seems to relax.

“Dude, you’re… I’m glad I know you. I’m sure somebody like Chie would push until she knew what was up.” Not that he doesn’t appreciate her for doing that-- some days he  _ really _ just needs a push-- but right now, he’s liking not having to explain. “I know I’ve already said it, but I’m glad I met you.”

“I’m glad I met you, too--  _ even  _ if our first proper meeting was me fishing you out of that trash can.”

“H-hey! Don’t mention that while I’m on the clock--!” He scratches the back of his neck, but there’s a genuine smile on his face.

That smile seems to fall instantly as Teddie runs back up to them. “Y-Yosuke! Your dad’s coming!” He ducks behind Yosuke and Yu, and Yosuke turns around, looking down the aisle.

As Teddie said, his dad is coming towards them. He’s trying to calm his own nerves--  _ reach out for Yu. Take his hand. Squeeze it--  _ and he clenches his hands into fists, now  _ forcing  _ up a smile for him. “H...hey, dad.”

His dad doesn’t offer him any sort of expression, instead staring flatly at him. “Where were you last night?”

Yosuke swallows loudly. He's trying desperately to hold his ground, but after all of today, his defenses are rapidly flagging. His fists are shaking, and tears are starting to prick at the sides of his eyes as he gives his answer, voice strained as he tries to act normally. "A-- a friend's."

"You climbed out of your window at  _ eleven in the evening _ to go to a  _ friend's? _ " His dad sounds wholly unconvinced, and Yosuke steps back slightly. "Which  _ 'friend' _ did you go to?"

Despite having an innocent enough answer, Yosuke still panics as he speaks. "Y-Yukiko! At the-- at the inn--!"

"Yukiko." His father echoes, staring Yosuke down. "And  _ why _ did you go to the Amagi Inn so late?"

"B-because she asked me to!"

"Did she text you? Give me your phone-- I'll see if you're  _ lying _ to me." He steps towards Yosuke, and Yosuke steps backwards again, shaking harder. He's glancing around the aisle now-- once again, they look as if they've amassed a crowd.

_ Everyone loves watching a kid get yelled at by their dad. Feels great, doesn't it?  _ Yosuke pats each of his pockets in turn, before he looks at his dad again. "It ran-- ran out of charge. I don't have it on me."

"Are you  _ lying _ to me?" This time, the step his father takes is a lot more threatening, and Yosuke backs himself up into Yu.

He glances over his shoulder at Yu, fast enough that he can recognise it's him, but not fast enough to read any emotions on his face. Yu, however, can see just how terrified Yosuke is-- he doesn't even get this terrified when faced with the prospect of death in the Midnight Channel-- and he desperately wants to hold Yosuke tight, and let his father know  _ exactly _ what he thinks of him.

_ Leave him alone. _ The words die on Yu's tongue as he opens his mouth, and for a moment, he curses himself for being unable to even defend Yosuke.  _ What sort of a leader am I, if I can't even protect him? _

"No--! I-I'm serious!" Yosuke forces up the most uncomfortable grin, looking back at Yu. "I haven't had it all day-- r-right, Yu?"

_ He never calls me Yu. Always… partner. _ Yu nods curtly, and Yosuke's dad seems to look at him. He can tell that he's being judged just by the way he looks him up and down, and Yu bites his tongue as he holds back an insult.  _ It won't help the situation-- I don't want Yosuke getting hurt because of me. _

"Then  _ where is it? _ It wasn't in your  _ room,  _ so clearly,  _ someone's _ lying."

Yosuke can't step any further back, and Yu can feel him shaking as his father approaches again. "I-I'm not lying. I promise I'm not lying. It's out of charge-- I haven't been able to use it all day, that's why I didn't-- why I didn't text you earlier." One of Yosuke's hands moves behind him, and when it collides with Yu's, he grabs onto him without thinking. He's lacing their fingers together, squeezing his hand so tightly his knuckles are going white, and Yu offers him a squeeze in return, to let him know that he's there.

"When you get home tonight, you're going to charge your phone, and bring it to me." His father glares at him. "I'm going to find out if you're lying to me." He turns his attention to Yu, now. "I don't care if you're a part-timer, or a friend of--" He stops himself purposely, and Yu wonders why. " _ If you're lying to save his hide, you're gonna regret it. _ "

Yu just nods, which seems to annoy him further.  _ And to think, this is the town that we're saving. This is the town we're going out of our way to protect from a killer. _

"Go to the fresh produce section. Someone's been stealing again."

"Y-yes, sir!" Yosuke nods vigorously, and his father turns on his heel, stomping away and through the gathered crowd. The moment he's gone, Yosuke lets out a held breath-- shuddery and unstable-- before he starts walking. His hand is still firmly holding Yu's, and he barely notices as he pulls Yu along with him-- but he's not headed towards the produce section.

As he pushes open the door to the bathrooms, Yosuke glances back at Yu, before he quickly pulls him into a stall with him, locking the door and wrapping his arms around Yu. There's a quiet sniffle, at first, before Yosuke starts sobbing, holding tightly to Yu's jacket and crying into his shoulder. Yu's surprised at the sudden action, and both his arms wrap back around Yosuke, one resting against the back of his head and carefully stroking his hair. He wants him to know that he cares, that he's here for him, that he'll protect him-- even if he couldn't find the confidence to do so when it mattered.

"I've got you." Yu mumbles.  _ I wish I could take you far away from here. _ "You're safe."  _ I want to take you somewhere safer. Just us two. _ "I'll protect you."  _ I love you. I wish you felt the same way about me. _

Yosuke seems to sob a little quieter at the sound of Yu's voice, face still firmly hidden in Yu's shoulder. He seems to be responding to each of Yu's affirmations, though between his sobs and how muffled his voice is, Yu can't pick out exactly what he's saying. His grip on Yu tightens for a few moments, before it suddenly disappears, both of his arms falling to his side as Yosuke leans into him. Yu is still gently stroking his hair, rubbing his back with his other hand, and Yosuke sighs shakily, moving his head slightly, so that he can speak a little clearer.

"I'm exhausted, partner…" Yosuke sounds beat-- Yu is acutely aware of how close Yosuke's face is to his neck. "I… can I come to yours… tonight?"

He had offered that escape to Yosuke earlier today. "Of course. You can stay as long as you need."

Yosuke seems to force out a tired laugh. "I don't ever wanna go back home. I'd rather stay with you, partner…" He sighs, almost dejectedly. "I mean… Dojima-san is  _ kinda _ better than my dad…"

"Dojima's never yelled at me like that." Yu says, and Yosuke swallows.

"He… hasn't?" He seems confused. "Even with how scary he is? He's never yelled at you? Not once?"

"Never like that. He doesn't get angry like that at me. Only ever at Adachi."

"Come on, man-- don't mention the cabbage fiend while we're…" Yosuke lowers his voice. "Is it weird that we're hugging in a bathroom?"

"...I don't mind it. I want you to be comfortable. I'm just happy I’m here with you."

Yosuke nods quietly, pulling himself away from Yu somewhat begrudgingly. He sighs, and he looks at Yu for a few moments, before he looks away again.  _ You want him to love you so badly. You want it more than anything. _ Before he can say anything, Yu reaches out to Yosuke, gently wiping some of the tears from his cheeks without even thinking.

After a moment of silence, Yosuke moves. "We-- we should get back out onto the floor. Dad'll notice I'm gone otherwise." He sounds almost disappointed that he has to step out of this weirdly tender moment with Yu-- weird as it is, being in a bathroom stall, it's still  _ something, _ to be with Yu-- and Yosuke unlocks the door. "Come on, partner. Let's just… survive the shift. God knows that I'd rather be fighting Shadows than working here."

“After seeing how your dad acts… I think I would, too.” Yu chuckles lightly. “We’ll survive. I know I’ve got you with me, and you’ve got me.”

_ I just wish we had more than this. _


	4. September 14th - Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second worst way to watch the Midnight Channel is in a closed Junes-- the worst way is to watch it on ten different TVs in a storefront, out in the fog and rain.

“Partner…” Yosuke’s voice is quiet, and somewhat whiny. He’s leaning against the wall, one leg off of the ground and pressed against the wall. “Why didn’t we just disappear into the TV while we were meant to be working?”

“Trust me, I would’ve suggested it.” Yu stands beside him, running a hand through his hair. “But we’re almost done. I hope.”

“Yeah, but I  _ hate _ doing the graveyard shift. I’ve gotta lock up after this-- and then we go home.” Yosuke leans his arm on Yu’s shoulder, yawning somewhat loudly. “Wonder if Ted’s having as good a time as we are.”

“Oh, probably. I think he just enjoys being alive and… real, I suppose.” Yu refrains from shrugging, just so Yosuke’s arm can stay where it is. He enjoys the contact, as stupid as it seems. As he lets one hand rest on top of Yosuke’s arm, he sighs gently. “I told you we’d survive, though.”

“Yeah. You’re always right about that, partner.” Yosuke grins at him. “Sometimes I get these weird nightmares where we don’t… make it through someone’s dungeon. I can’t really count how many times I thought we’d lost you-- and then I wake up, and everything’s okay.”  _ I keep thinking I’m gonna lose you in the Midnight Channel. I don’t want you to die. _ “It’s weird. I’ve never had nightmares like that before. Sure, I get ‘em about people leaving me behind, but not people  _ dying, _ you know?”

_ I don’t think about Saki-senpai much anymore. I guess I just don’t feel anything. I can’t afford to… think about anything else but what we need to do. _

“Hey, trust me, I won’t die-- especially not in the Midnight Channel. It’s  _ you _ I’m worried about.” Yu turns slightly, and Yosuke’s arm slips off his shoulder. “I mean… after your father yelled at you, I’m surprised we were back out on the floor so soon…”

“I’m used to it, partner. You don’t have to worry.” Yosuke’s smile feels forced. “Come on, we should get our stuff and go-- we can’t afford to miss the Midnight Channel tonight.”

“Used to it as you are… you shouldn’t  _ have _ to be.” Yu wraps his arm around Yosuke, and he leans into the touch.

“What’s the point in fighting it now? My dad’s not gonna change-- not unless somebody like Kanji tried to give him a run for his money.”

“I’d pay to see Kanji beat your dad up--” Yu starts, but he pauses the moment he hears something jingling. “Hey, Yosuke…”

“Yeah, partner?”

The jingling seems to get louder.

“Do you think that the Reaper exists, uh…  _ outside _ of the Midnight Channel?”

Yosuke looks at him incredulously. “What? No way. It’s a Shadow, right? So it  _ can’t _ exist outside of the Midnight Channel.” Just as Yosuke stops speaking, the jingling gets louder again. “W-wait. Can I change my answer?”

“You have your weapons on you, right?”   
  
“D-do I look like I carry them around with me all the time? They're at home!” Yosuke sounds panicked, and he places his hurt foot directly onto the floor. “Hgh-- you know, I wish I were Chie sometimes, just ‘cause her weapon  _ is _ her _ shoes. _ That’s  _ easy _ to get into the TV!” He stumbles a little. “D’you know where the sound’s coming from?”

“Can’t tell. It’s getting closer, though.” The closer it gets, the less it sounds like chains, however. While Yosuke struggles to figure out where the sound is coming from, Yu strains himself, trying to pinpoint what he  _ thinks _ the sound could be.

“Okay, so it’s coming at us, we don’t know where it is, and we don’t have any weapons. Should we make a break for the lockers, or--”

Yosuke’s silenced as Yu puts a hand up, and he steps around a corner. Almost immediately, the jingling starts approaching rapidly, before it comes to an abrupt halt.

“There you guys are!”

Teddie waves his suit-arm. There’s a jingle.

“Teddie-- you… _almost_ _terrified_ me. Could you at least _think_ for _half_ a second before you go running around… _jingling things_?!” Yosuke huffs. “What are you even jingling?!”

“Nuh-uh! My secret! It’s  _ bear-y _ important that I keep it secret! Not even Sensei can know!” He shakes whatever it is again, before taking off into the rest of the store. “I’ll see you guys later!”

“Hey--  **_Teddie!_ ** Get back here!” Yosuke yells after him, but Teddie is long gone. “Dammit… I can’t have him running around with something he’s not meant to have…” He groans. “Ugh. And we have to watch the Midnight Channel. What time is it, partner?”

“Only approaching eleven. We still have time.”

“Yeah, but with chasing Teddie through the store and turning everything off…” He limps as he moves again. “Ow! We’re gonna have a long night…”

“Teddie has to go back to the electrical section-- and you need to get your phone from there. I’m sure we can cut him off.” Yu offers, and Yosuke looks up.

“Oh, crap, I forgot about my phone. I hope Teddie hasn’t taken it… that damn bear…” Yosuke begins limping in the direction of the electrical section. “Oh, uh-- partner, when we get to yours, I think I might need to just… rest for a while.”

“Your foot still causing problems? I think we have more things at home for dealing with that, so I’ll do what I can to ease up the pain.”

Yosuke smiles gently-- he’s glad that Yu’s here with him. “Thanks, partner. You’re a lifesaver, you know that?”

Matching Yosuke’s smile, Yu hums. “My best friend’s told me once or twice.”

“Only once or twice? I’ve gotta tell you more often, then!” He wraps an arm around Yu's shoulders, grip tightening on his shirt. "Alright, electrics first, grab my phone, cut Teddie off like he's a rare Shadow, and I guess, uh…"

"We might be able to get back to mine in time for the Midnight Channel." Yu offers, though he knows it depends on how quickly they manage to catch Teddie.

“I guess so. It could be kinda tight on the timing though-- I just think being in the electrical section for the broadcast would be…”

“Terrifying?” Yu nods. “I agree, honestly. Seeing hundreds of the same Shadow-- same silhouette-- just staring at us…”

“Nightmare fuel.” Yosuke agrees, and he glances across at Yu. He looks kind of different, under this weird fluorescent lighting, his expression simultaneously focused and sharp, and caring. It’s at times like this that Yosuke gets caught up in the way that Yu looks, the way his expressions change, the way he seems so calm and collected, the way he looks down at him. It’s like nobody else.

When Yu turns away slightly-- probably to look around-- Yosuke can’t help but focus on his eyes. His eyelashes just look  _ perfect _ on him, how every single part of Yu just looks  _ perfect, _ and  _ right _ … he’s almost caught staring up at him, near consumed by an urge to kiss him now-- though, he knows his feelings would never be reciprocated. It’d ruin everything they have. Yosuke’s fine to go without his Persona, fine to go without ever telling Yu how he feels, without having to come out to everyone he knows. After everything he’s said, he knows it’ll only end terribly.

_ Everyone will leave me behind, and I’ll get kicked out of the house… and I’ll have nowhere to go. Easy pickings for the killer, whoever the hell he is.  _

“You look like you’re thinking hard.” Yu smiles gently at him, and Yosuke focuses back on reality.

“Uh-- just… thinking about things.”

Yu nods. “I know this is a lot for all of us-- and sure, all the work’s being split between everyone in the team, but still… even if you’re not the leader, being a co-founder comes with its own problems, right?” Yu’s hand gently rubs Yosuke’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re with me.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah. You’ve basically been figuring out everything about the victims on your own-- without you, who knows where we’d be right now?”

_ Is he just saying that? Or does he really mean that? _

“I dunno, you guys have worked it out too.” Yosuke shrugs. “I think we’re all at least equally important in the team.”

There’s a quiet chuckle from Yu, and Yosuke raises his eyebrows. “Yosuke… just because we’re all equally as important doesn’t mean I can’t tell you how much it matters to me that you’re part of the team. You and Jiraiya work  _ amazingly _ together-- and like I said, I’m glad you’re with me.”

Yosuke’s guts twist at the compliment, and then again at the realization that he doesn’t  _ have _ Jiraiya anymore. Maybe he should mention that…? But then Yu would worry, and they’d have to go beat his Shadow  _ again, _ and everyone would find out what he’s been hiding… is it worth doing so?

“...I’m glad you think so, partner.” Is what he goes for. “I’ve been thinking of some new things I wanna try, next time we’re in the Midnight Channel. We can start testing the limits of our Personas-- I wanna see how strong Jiraiya can get.”

_ You don’t even have Jiraiya. You’re keeping up a stupid little facade, and for what? For Yu’s acceptance? _

“I can’t wait to see, too. I think you should take it easy until your foot’s less… you know, hurt, though.”

“Oh, for sure. I don’t wanna push myself in there-- but maybe Yukiko’s right, and Konohana Sakuya can help heal it.”

“Dunno. Maybe it only works on the wounds we get in the Midnight Channel  _ because _ we got them in there?” Yu ponders, before he stops in his tracks. “Alright. Electrical section.”

“Crap, where’d I put my phone…” Yosuke slips away from Yu’s arm, checking behind each of the TVs on display. “Nope, not here, not that one-- aha! There you are!” He fumbles with the wires for a moment, before he picks his phone up and slips it back into his pocket. “Alright, now we try to find Teddie. Think he’s gone back into the TV?”

“Let’s hope not. What do you think he had, anyway? Something that jingles…”

“I mean, it’s September. None of the winter stuff is out yet, so it can’t be like a bell or anything…” Yosuke pats his pockets, and his face falls. “Uh-- partner?”

“What’s up?”

“...Did I give you my keys?”

Yu looks at Yosuke confusedly. “...No? You put them in your pocket after locking your locker…”

“Oh, shit… okay, uh-- where do you think they are?” Yosuke’s trying to backtrack through everything they’ve done since they got out there--  _ lockers, charge phone, get yelled at by dad, bathrooms to cry, produce section, restock shelves-- _ and he groans. “Where the hell could they’ve gotten to?”

There’s a giggle from down the aisle, and Yosuke’s attention snaps over to it. Teddie’s stood there, jingling something in his hands. He narrows his eyes at Teddie, trying to focus on whatever he’s holding, before Yu speaks.

“They must’ve fallen out of your pocket…”

Yosuke’s expression darkens. “Teddie. Give me my keys.”

Teddie shakes his head. "Mmn-- no! I found them!"

"Yeah, 'cause they fell out of my pocket! Give them back!" Yosuke limps towards Teddie, and Teddie giggles again, running past him and to behind Yu. " **_I'm serious, dude!_ ** "

"And I'm Teddie!" Teddie jingles the keys in his hands again.

" _ Give my keys back  _ **_now, Ted!_ ** " Yosuke yells loud enough for it to echo around the empty store. The silence that follows is uncomfortable, and Yosuke seems unnerved at his own yelling.

“Wow, Yosuke-- I didn’t know you could yell like that.” Teddie teases, and while he’s distracted, Yu picks Yosuke’s keys out of Teddie’s hand, holding them high above his head. “H-hey, Sensei! Give that back!”

“We don’t have time to be joking around, Teddie. Another time.” Yu looks across to Yosuke as Teddie attempts to climb up him to grab the keys back out of his hand, and Yosuke stands back beside Yu.

“That’s what you get, you stupid bear.” He’s forceful enough that when he pushes Teddie, it makes him fall onto the floor, and he looks up at the two sourly.

“Huh! I see what’s gotten into you. Too powerful to care about humble Teddie, right?”

Right as Yosuke attempts to berate Teddie, Yu puts his hand up to silence him.

“It’s raining tonight, and Yosuke thinks someone’s going to be taken. We need to get home quickly and see  _ who. _ You understand, right?” Yu’s voice is gentle, and Teddie stands again.

“Oh! You should have said earlier, Sensei! I wanna see if I can see the Midnight Channel from  _ outside! _ I’ve never tried before!” Teddie seems to have forgotten the keys by now, far too caught up in the excitement of seeing  _ into _ the Midnight Channel like never before. “So how do I do it?”

“At midnight, on a rainy night, the TV will turn on, and show the silhouette of the next person that’ll be put inside. Then, the next rainy night, they’ll be  _ in _ there. You’ll see their Shadow self.” Yu explains, and Teddie practically squeals.

“I can’t wait to see who it is!! Are you two gonna stay here and watch with me?”

It’s Yosuke who shakes his head. “No way, dude. We’re going back to his and checking it there. I’m creeped out enough by seeing it on one TV-- seeing it on this many would make me  _ piss _ myself.” Seemingly finished with the conversation, Yosuke starts limping back towards the staff room. “Come on, partner, we should get moving before it’s too late.”

As he leaves, Teddie looks up at Yu with a confused expression. “Sensei, is Yosuke okay?”

Yu’s expression is pained. He’s worried about Yosuke, of course-- why  _ wouldn’t _ he be?-- but he’s never wanted to press him for more details than he’s willing to give. Yosuke’s hard pressed most days, and Yu  _ knows  _ that, and he never wants to make his life harder-- only easier, in any little way that he can. He knows it’s left over from wanting to please everyone in his life, and Yosuke’s never been exempt from that-- but the amount of emotions he feels around Yosuke, and how much Yosuke allows himself to feel when they’re together, alone… how much of their relationship, as friendly as it is (though he knows he’d like it to be more) is the two of them helping the other to become more of themselves than they knew existed?

Or is it more of themselves than they've  _ allowed _ to exist? Something that Yu had been pushing away-- his own thoughts, feelings, needs-- in place of helping others to the point of self destruction? Something that Yosuke had long buried under his happy-go-lucky facade-- entirely built on lies to protect who he was underneath-- that’s slowly cracking under pressure?

“Sensei?” Teddie’s voice snaps Yu out of his stupor, and he looks down at him.

There’s another short pause as Yu decides which words he’s going to pick. “...He’s had a rough day. I think he needs some time to relax.”

“I noticed he was limping, though. Do I need to use Kintoki-Douji to heal him--?”

“It’s funny, everyone’s offered… he’s denied it every single time. Don’t worry, okay? I’ll make sure he’s alright.” Yu smiles gently, and Teddie seems to think for a moment, before nodding.

“Alright, Sensei! I trust you! Seeing Yosuke so down is  _ weird! _ You better cheer him up for me, okay?”

Yu nods. “Will do. I should get moving.” He waves to Teddie as he breaks out into a jog. “We’ll see you tomorrow, okay, Teddie? Have fun watching the Midnight Channel!”

“I will, Sensei! I can’t wait to see it for real!”

Yu has the time to think as he tries to catch up with Yosuke. He knows that Yosuke is pushing something away-- he's hiding something in plain sight, something Yu feels as if he's so close to understanding-- but he has no idea how he's meant to  _ approach _ Yosuke about it. He  _ knows _ he can't just tell him that he knows something's wrong. For whatever reason, Yosuke's repressing  _ something, _ and the longer it goes on, the more worried Yu becomes. Will he turn away from his power? Will he give up fighting for the safety of Inaba? Will he disappear without a trace for a while to try to collect his thoughts?

None of those sound like things Yosuke would  _ do. _ Yu wants to believe that he  _ knows _ Yosuke, and that he at least understands him enough to know what he might do. Yosuke isn't the type to ignore responsibility-- he's the type to work himself down to the bone, to hurt himself for others-- and his resilience is half of what makes him an amazing team member. He wouldn't disappear on them  _ willingly. _

Yu's thoughts come to an abrupt halt as he approaches the staff room, and instead, he tries not to think of anything as he pushes the door open slowly.

Yosuke is standing in front of his locker, struggling to pull his arm out of…  _ something _ under his shirt. Yu doesn't really know  _ what _ it is, but he walks into the room quietly, standing beside Yosuke and holding a hand out. 

"D'you need some help?" Yu's voice makes Yosuke's attention snap over to him, and weirdly, he looks  _ scared. _

"H-huh? Oh-- n-no need, partner, I'm alright!" He suddenly stops trying whatever he was doing, instead motioning to the locker. "Grab your stuff and let's get moving, alright? I don't wanna get caught out in the fog tonight."

Yu opens his mouth to ask why Yosuke was so quick to abandon whatever he was doing, but the words die on his tongue long before he even knows what he's planning to say. Instead, he nods gently, pulling off the apron and folding it back into the locker, before retrieving the rest of his belongings. He pulls his jacket back on, slinging his bag back over his shoulder-- and he naturally holds his arm out for Yosuke to hold. After a beat of pause, Yosuke slips under his arm, wrapping his own arm around Yu's shoulder.

"Here we go. Just two guys about to brave the fog." Yosuke mumbles, and Yu smiles gently at him.

"We've got each other-- nobody'll be able to stop us."

Yosuke nods. "Yeah. I'll protect you, and you'll protect me, partner." He smiles ever so gently. "I'm glad you're here with me, and I'm glad you're my partner." 

Yu begins guiding Yosuke out of the staff rooms and towards the main exit, his umbrella held in his other hand. "And I'm glad you're mine, Yosuke."

_ Will we ever be more, though? _ Yu wonders to himself.  _ Will I ever get to call you more than my partner? Because I'd like to. I feel selfish, wanting you to love me like I love you-- I know you don't feel the same way, let alone feel at all for other guys, but… I want you to. Just for me. I just… want you, selfishly.  _ He sighs, halfway between content and sadness.  _ You've made me realize that. That I have wants, and needs, and you're one of them. I  _ **_want_ ** _ to be with you. I want you to want to be with me, too.  _ As they step out into the rain, and the oppressive fog, Yosuke seems to hold tighter to him, leaning his head across and into his shoulder.  _ Stay close to me, partner. I've got you. I just want to show you how much I love you. _

* * *

The pace of their walking is slow at best, and nearly a stop at worst. Yosuke's foot is giving him enough grief to last a lifetime, and they're both sure that the fog isn't improving things. They've come to a stop outside of a storefront with flickering lights-- no good for the ambience that's already being set by the fog and the rain-- and Yosuke is just balanced on one leg, trying to shake his leg out like it'll ease the pain. He's complaining quietly, but Yu can barely hear it, instead still a little caught up in his own thoughts. Neither want to talk  _ too  _ loudly, just in case someone else is roaming about in the fog.

While Yosuke adjusts his pantleg, and continues shaking his foot out, Yu shifts a little uncomfortably in his jacket. It feels  _ tighter _ than he remembers, almost constricting around his shoulders. As he rolls his shoulders, Yosuke overbalances, putting his foot down  _ hard _ to prevent himself from falling over.

“Ow!” He hisses out in pain, before looking up at Yu. “What was that for?”

Yu looks at him in surprise. “I-- sorry, my jacket feels tight.” He moves his shoulders again. It’s  _ definitely _ tight around his shoulders and arms-- maybe a little around the waist too, but he doesn’t exactly have it buttoned up… “I was just trying to get comfortable.”

There’s a pause as Yosuke limps around to the front of Yu. “Hold still, partner.” While one hand holds onto Yu’s jacket, the other aims for one of the inside pockets. For a moment, his hand brushes against Yu’s chest, and Yosuke attempts to act as if he doesn’t want to just  _ keep doing that _ . Instead, he slips his hand into the pocket, his fingers tightening around a familiar item inside.

A tightly bundled bandage-- one that he’s been holding onto for a while.

“You’re wearing my jacket, partner.”

His fingers stay tight around the bandage, and he seems to look up at Yu, as if waiting for his response. After a few moments of none, Yosuke withdraws his hand, the bandage left behind inside the pocket. Yu doesn’t need to know what’s in there, yet. As if suddenly spurred on by Yosuke removing his hand from his pocket, Yu finds himself able to speak again.

“Should-- should we swap back?” He had barely noticed that Yosuke’s jacket seemed  _ longer _ on the sleeves than before-- maybe it just seemed natural. Seeing the way that the sleeve goes halfway up Yosuke’s hand, and how he’s almost lost in the collar, it’s something Yu never realized could seem so…  _ right. _ Maybe he doesn’t want them to swap back at all, and he’s hoping Yosuke will tell him the same.

There’s a pause, and Yosuke stays holding the jacket Yu’s wearing. “...Your jacket is comfortable. But… if you wanna swap back, I don’t mind, partner.”

Yu almost seems  _ too _ elated to hear Yosuke share the sentiment. “No! If you’re comfortable, th-then, that’s more important. You’re hurt anyway, a-and I think you look--” Yu swallows loudly. “--you look good in my jacket.”

Yosuke looks away from him for a moment, almost too bashful to even make eye contact with Yu as he commits the compliment to memory--  _ he thinks I look good in his jacket. He thinks I look good in his jacket-- _ before he grins brightly. “Even if it’s too small for you, I think you look great in mine, too!” The sincerity to his voice makes Yu flush, and Yosuke commits  _ that _ to memory, too. That look on Yu’s face, tender, caring-- he wants to see it  _ forever. _

The silence is broken by a message pinging from his phone. Yosuke jumps at the noise, pulling his phone from his pocket and checking it.

**< 2Trial2Dragon>:** MID  
**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** NIGHT  
**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** CHANNEL  
**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** DONT FORGET!

Oh. Chie reminding him to check the Midnight Channel-- it must be on soon, right? After glancing at the time, he looks back up at Yu, terror obvious on his features.

“We’re gonna miss the Midnight Channel! It’s almost midnight  _ now! _ ”

As if to answer his fear, the storefront that they’re stood in front of seems to flicker to life, TVs stacked upon each other and all showing the same, dreary, foggy landscape. Yosuke turns quickly, standing beside Yu once again and holding onto his arm for support.

“W-why did there have to be so  _ many _ of them?” Yosuke’s voice is quiet as Yu steps a little closer to the screens behind the window.

It’s hazy-- worse than they’ve ever seen it before-- and Yu narrows his eyes, focusing harder and harder to try and recognise the silhouette. “Whoever it is, they’re not in there  _ yet. _ ” He says, as if it’ll mean much. If they don’t know who’s going in, then how are they meant to stop it? “It’s hard to tell. I think there’s something… interfering with the broadcast.” Yu pulls Yosuke a little closer, and points at the screen. “Look, behind him. There’s something  _ else _ in there.”

Yosuke squints at it-- sure enough, behind the vaguely recognisable silhouette of somebody he’s  _ sure _ he knows, there’s something else. It seems to move oddly, jolting around like it shouldn’t be there at all, and Yosuke pulls back before his brain starts complaining about having to focus on it.

“Crap-- dude, do you think we’ll have to deal with  _ two _ Shadows? Like we did with Rise and Teddie?”

Yu’s expression sours. “First, I wish I hadn’t remembered that dungeon.” He sighs, however. “Second-- we  _ might. _ It just means that we’ll all have to be on guard. I’m sure that you and Jiraiya will be able to keep us all in check, though-- a couple lucky Sukukaja’s, and we should be just fine.”

Yosuke nods. “You’re right-- and the rest of the team will be there to cover us, too.”

“Always-- now we need to figure out who this  _ main _ person is, though.” Yu looks close again. “Do you think that’s Naoto?”

After stepping back a little, Yosuke tries to focus again. “Well I mean, he’s got the hat… and the jacket, I think?” He looks away again. "Man, I  _ can't  _ focus when there's this many TVs."

Yu, however, seems to frown. "Why would Naoto have something  _ behind _ him? Nobody's had  _ two _ Shadows. Do you think two people will be thrown in?"

"That would take  _ way  _ too much effort. The killer's just been  _ throwing _ people in, I don't think he'd bother taking two people and pushing them both in at the same time. I mean, what if they fought back against each other's Shadows?" Yosuke shrugs. "Maybe it's just part of his thing."

Yosuke doesn't want to go further with the conversation, however.  _ Is that my Shadow? Is he following me around? He's in these TVs, and the ones at home… _ he shakes his head rapidly, taking one last glance at the storefront before the TVs simultaneously snap off, leaving the two once again in front of a dull store. The dim light from the streetlamps barely pushes through the fog, and Yu looks at Yosuke, a worried expression on his face.

"We'll ask what people think tomorrow. Are you okay to walk?" Yu's hand rests on Yosuke's shoulder, and he swallows.

"U-uh… I don't know. Probably." As if to prove his point, Yosuke takes a step-- and he almost collapses under his own weight. "Okay! Maybe not!"

"Alright, can you hold the umbrella for a sec?" Yu holds the umbrella out towards Yosuke, and he takes it from his hand with a raised eyebrow.

"Sure, partner. What are you…?" He can't finish the sentence before Yu moves.

Yu had already planned ahead for this. He turns to Yosuke, one hand around his back and shoulders-- and in a sudden movement, his other arm is under Yosuke's knees, lifting him into a bridal carry. He doesn't want Yosuke to turn down the offer of help, so instead, he's doing it without his permission-- and Yosuke settles into it almost too quickly.

He's relieved to not have to walk, not have to deal with pain, and how he's only making things worse-- and instead, he relaxes into Yu's arms like he was always meant to sit there, grinning gently at Yu. "Th-thanks, partner. You're a real lifesaver."

Yu's surprised at how easy he's finding it to carry Yosuke. He'd at least expected him to be a  _ little _ heavier than this, but it's nice, at least, to know that he  _ can _ carry him. The way that Yosuke seems to have relaxed-- one arm around Yu's neck, the other holding the umbrella so it covers them both-- is enough to almost make Yu blush, especially as Yosuke rests his head on Yu's shoulder.

"Sorry about, uh… making you have to do this." Yosuke is sheepish as he looks up at Yu. Even in the fog, he's prettier than anyone he's ever seen. "I've gotta be better at… looking after myself, I guess." His reflection makes it sound as if he's disappointed in himself. "Can't save Inaba if I can't look after myself, right?"

_ Can't save anybody until I accept who I am. Couldn't save Saki-senpai, but I  _ **_have_ ** _ to save Yu. I don't want you to die, partner. I'll put myself in harm's way to save you. _

"Don't rush yourself, okay? I'm with you every step of the way." Yu smiles. "Let's focus on now. We still have time." It’s odd to hear Yu say that, considering his apparent rush to save people from the Midnight Channel. After a beat of silence, he sighs. “You know… I don’t think I want to leave Inaba.”

Yosuke raises his eyebrows. “Why? When I got here, there was nothing to do… I  _ always _ wanted to leave.”

“That’s the difference though. There  _ is _ something to do. Right now, it’s saving people from the Midnight Channel. When that’s done, who knows-- but it’s nothing to do with what’s  _ happening _ that makes me want to stay.” Yu seems as if he’s trying to pick his words carefully. “I guess that… what makes me want to stay most, is…” 

He pauses, and as Yosuke shifts slightly in his arms, he laughs. “You.”

“M-me?” Yosuke swallows. "You wanna stay be… because of me?"

"Yeah. I wanna be wherever you, and the rest of the group is." Yu smiles. "You're all… important to me. You're great, and I just… wanna stay with you guys forever."

Yosuke's heart sinks.  _ That's what I get for thinking so hard about him falling in love with me. I keep mangling what he means… _ when Yosuke doesn't obviously respond, Yu goes quiet, leaving the two in a familiar silence.

Yu's walking pace is oddly soothing. Each step is firm, walking confidently through the foggy streets as he heads towards his home-- and the rhythm makes Yosuke yawn quietly, holding a little tighter to the umbrella. He's  _ exhausted, _ and now that he's not walking, it's more obvious than ever.

As if he can read his thoughts, Yu speaks, gentle enough not to disturb him much. "If you want to sleep, go ahead. I'll make sure we get home."

Yosuke nods softly, resting his head against Yu's chest. He can hear his heartbeat-- it only seems to make him more relaxed, wondering just what it would be like to sleep beside Yu, his head tucked under Yu's neck, Yu's arms around him, the two of them waking ever so gently, and wishing the moment would never end. Those are the last coherent thoughts he has as he drifts towards sleep, mumbling out his goodnights to Yu.

"Sleep well, partner. I've got you." Yu whispers, and Yosuke settles in.


	5. September 15th - Early Morning / Lunchtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming out isn't easy-- it's just a pity Yosuke hasn't told Kanji the arguably more important of the two things to come out about.

Yosuke wakes with a start from a dreamless sleep, hands tightening around something soft. He has to blink the sleep out of his eyes before he can see-- everything's still a little fuzzy around the edges, but at least he can kind of recognise where he is. There's voices in the distance, muffled by something, and the smell of food, and Yosuke pushes himself up slightly, looking around at the room he's in. He recognises it, for sure, but for the moment, he can't figure out  _ why. _ With a groan, he pulls his foot up towards himself, moving the blanket so he can see how it is-- it's been cleanly bandaged once again, and it hurts less than yesterday-- and once he's seemingly happy with how it is, he stretches out, starting to fumble around to find his phone. It has to be somewhere nearby, right?

His fingers tighten around something, and he pulls himself slightly towards it to get a look at it-- it's a phone, for sure, but it's not  _ his. _ This one's grey, and his is  _ red. _ Yosuke scrunches his face up as he looks closer, as if it'll turn this phone into his own-- before he spots his phone a little further away, just within his reach. He grabs it, unplugs it - though he doesn't recall putting it on charge for the night - and checks over everything. A few new messages-- two from his dad. He should check those first.

**< father>: ** Where are you.  
**< father>:** If you don't come home, I won't be happy.

Yosuke just groans again. That soured his mood. He makes no point of replying yet - his brain hasn't turned on enough to think of one - and goes to check the other messages he's gotten overnight. A couple from Chie, and one vaguely baffling one from Kanji.

**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** tht was naoto right??  
**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** yu said ud figured out it was naoto  
**< 2Trial2Dragon>: ** damn

**< Funny froggy>: ** Think it was naoto yeah

Now what's he meant to do about the message from Kanji?

**< big scary punk dude>: ** hey yosuke senpai, this is gonna sound stupid BUT. i gotta ask somebody and iunno who else 2 ask, so if ur free can we like hang out. gotta talk to you.

So he wants to hang out. Whatever's got Kanji asking  _ him _ must be weird-- most of them would go to Yu. Yu knows what to say, he's not kept down by his problems, and he's  _ always _ willing to help… so why  _ him? _

**< Funny froggy>:** Sure  
**< Funny froggy>: ** We can hang @ lunch. busy after school.

He still hasn't fully figured out where he is right now. It's soft, and warm, and it feels kind of… homely, despite not being his home. It's only when he notices the calendar next to the door that Yosuke recognises where he is.

Yu's room. And he must be in his bed.

Despite this, Yu doesn’t seem to be nearby-- though the presence of a pillow sat on his couch means that he must have slept  _ there, _ and let Yosuke sleep in his bed instead. With another little push, Yosuke manages to sit up, rubbing his head awkwardly. Why does he feel out of breath? He slowly pats across his chest, before he suddenly seems to jolt awake, pulling both arms inside his shirt and struggling with his binder. He’s been wearing it for a day now-- it can’t be good.

There’s an unsatisfying  _ tearing _ noise as he pulls one arm out, and he can feel the fabric falling apart in his hands. Yosuke starts to panic, trying to carefully pull his other arm out without ripping it any further-- the tearing noises are minimal, but he can still feel it ripping apart.

"Shit, shit shit shit--" He wriggles it off over his head, looking at the tatty binder once it's no longer on him. It can still just  _ about _ work as one, but he'd risk a lot of issues wearing it, not to mention the chance of it tearing further. "Augh… crap. Now what…?" Yosuke looks down at it for a few moments, before he stuffs it into one of his jacket pockets, hoping that he'll think of something later on.

As he sits there, seemingly anguished at his current problem, the door opens slowly, and Yu walks in with a smile-- and a tray.

"Hey, good morning." He places the tray down on the table, and Yosuke looks at it. "I… made you breakfast. Or-- well, I made us both breakfast. I brought it up so you wouldn’t have to go downstairs for it.” Once he’s moved both plates from the tray, he approaches Yosuke, holding a hand out towards him. “It’s nice to eat breakfast with a friend.”

Yosuke takes his hand eagerly, careful not to place weight on his foot. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“How does your foot feel?”

“It doesn’t hurt as bad right now, but I think if I have to wear shoes that’re too small for me again, it’ll just get worse.” Yosuke chuckles. “But it’s whatever. Did you wrap it up again?”

“Yeah. While you were asleep, I tried to clean it as best as I could and wrap it back up."

"Thanks, partner. You're really amazing…" Yosuke's smile is gentle, and he sits down on the couch, shuffling along to make space for Yu. "I should be alright to go home tonight. Just… y'know, had a bad day yesterday."

"I understand. You still don't have your headphones, though, so…" Yu pauses, pulling something from one of his pockets. "It's not really comparable, but I have these. You can borrow them for as long as you want." He holds out a pair of earbuds-- and Yosuke reaches out to take them immediately, however his hands just rest on top of Yu's, holding him tightly.

"Partner! You're a lifesaver! No-- you're  _ way _ more than that! You're amazing! You're  _ everything! _ " Yosuke starts shaking Yu’s hands in his excitement. “I-- I’ve  _ gotta _ treat you for this! I’ll just have to-- think of some way to thank you!”

“Just seeing you this happy is enough.” Yu smiles sincerely, and Yosuke moves his hands again, instead throwing his arms around Yu and hugging him tightly.

“O-of course, partner!” While he plans to hold him for a  _ while, _ the sound of his stomach makes Yosuke pull back sheepishly, scratching his head. “A-ah. We should eat, right? You’re probably as hungry as I am.”

Yosuke shoves the earbuds into his jacket pocket and turns to his plate, quickly starting to eat so he doesn’t have to think so hard about last night. He  _ slept _ in  _ Yu’s bed. _ Sure, Yu wasn’t in it  _ with him, _ as far as he knows, but  _ still… _

Yu seems quite comfortable, sat next to him. Their shoulders rub together occasionally as they eat, neither bothering to break the silence. Yosuke has enough to think about that’s  _ not _ Yu, like Kanji’s messages, and the fact that they’ll have to discuss what they saw on the Midnight Channel last night-- but it’d be easier to think about Yu than it would be to think about what’s going to happen when he goes home.

It’s better to get yelled at at  _ home _ than in Junes, though.

“If someone’s inside the TV, then we were wrong about the killer.” Yu says suddenly, both hands placed down on the table in front of him. “I’ve just realized that.”

“Huh?”

“How did we know that someone was going to get taken? We thought that Mitsuo was the killer, and he’s been arrested.” Yu sits back, eyes shut as he thinks. “Everyone else in town thinks that there’s gonna be no more murders. No more kidnappings.  _ Why _ did we know different? Why did  _ you? _ ”

“I-- I didn’t. Chie just told me to check the Midnight Channel last night ‘cause it was raining.”

“But you started guessing at someone being taken. How did that all make sense in your head?”

“I… I thought that, if the Midnight Channel  _ were _ to come on, and if something was  _ weird _ about Mitsuo being inside the TV and having his own dungeon, and his own Shadow and stuff, then he couldn’t have  _ thrown people in, _ right?” Yosuke sounds more and more unsure as he goes on. “So… he got thrown in himself? I guess? So that means the killer threw  _ him _ in. Which means that the killer’s still out there, and they’re gonna throw Naoto in next, if that… was him on the TV.”

“So we think that Naoto’s getting taken because he wasn’t at school, and it was  _ maybe _ his silhouette on the TV.”

“Yeah. We need to ask everybody else, though. I think I just started guessing at who might be taken because of the whole thing about them being on local TV.”

“You reached that conclusion while already assuming Naoto was gonna go in.”

“Lucky hunch.” Yosuke mumbles. “I got lucky.”

“Luck, or did you think about it?” Yu turns to him, and Yosuke pauses, and sighs.

“I thought about it, okay? Naoto was gone all day, I  _ knew _ somewhere that somebody was gonna get taken. Or--  _ is _ gonna get taken, since he clearly wasn’t in there last night. I feel like I  _ get _ what’s happening with the Midnight Channel, but I don’t know  _ what _ it is. We don’t know  _ anything _ about the Midnight Channel, and neither does Teddie! Teddie  _ lives _ in there!”

He knows he's getting himself worked up over nothing. Did nobody else expect someone to be taken? Was he alone in that conclusion? He had been so sure that others had shared it-- Chie  _ especially _ , since  _ she _ had prompted  _ him _ to check the Midnight Channel. He'll have to text her.

"I don't…  _ get _ how I know. Y'know? It's like, just this  _ hunch  _ I got. I felt so much like somebody else was gonna get taken-- I thought everyone else did, too." Yosuke's explanation is lacklustre, he knows, but it's the best he has. "I think… we should save talking about it until we see everyone else."

Yu nods. "Yeah… you're right." He seems to pat Yosuke's back for a moment. "You need a different pair of shoes, right?"

"U-uh, yeah… if you can spare a pair, partner."

"I'll find some."

Yu stands, and he grabs his phone before leaving the room, letting Yosuke remain on the couch and gather his thoughts. He fumbles around with the earbuds in his pocket, pulling them out and untangling them. It'll help to listen to music-- he's had enough of hearing things, and he kind of just wants to let go of everything, spend the day lying down in bed and just not  _ thinking  _ about anything. He knows he can't, however. Not after he's skipped school, not after he's avoided going home for two nights in a row… he has to get through today, deal with his parents, and maybe tomorrow will look a little better.

But that's what he's told himself for the past few weeks. That's what he's been trying to believe since his Shadow returned. 

His music starts quietly, and Yosuke relaxes almost immediately. Having control of how loud things are feels  _ good, _ and he lies down on the couch, eyes closed and arms crossed behind his head. Sure, he has school, but he knows he'll make it, thanks to Yu. He, of course, doesn't notice when Yu returns, placing a pair of boots down next to the couch so that Yosuke can put them on in his own time.

Yu decides it's best to leave Yosuke as he is, for now. Instead, he goes back downstairs, sitting by the table with Nanako.

"You okay, big bro?" Nanako asks gently.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just thinking about things." Yu doesn't want to explain further-- Nanako doesn't need to know the details of everything he worries about. "How about you?"

"I'm okay. Just thinking about dad…" She seems a little restless, shifting around where she's sat. "Why didn't he come home last night?"

"I don't know. Maybe there's more to the case he's on." Yu  _ knows _ there is, but why would Dojima know? Paperwork can't be  _ that _ hard, right? "But… I agree that he should have come home, at least."

Nanako makes a small noise, halfway between agreement and discomfort, before she looks back up at Yu. "Why'd you take two plates upstairs?"

Oh. She doesn't know.

"One of my friends stayed the night. He's alright, he just… needed to be somewhere that wasn't home."

"Oh, okay." She seems to understand that. "Is he gonna stay here while dad isn't home?"

"No, he plans to go back home after school today. I'll let you know next time a friend wants to hang out, alright? And maybe we can all hang out together."

Nanako nods. "That sounds like fun!"

The conversation drifts away, and Yu finds himself watching the clock in the room, thinking a little about what's happening. If they were wrong about Mitsuo, and the killer is still out there, then… surely they've missed something, right? Even others in the team thought Mitsuo must've been the killer, so why would Chie-- and by extension, Yosuke-- have come to a  _ different _ conclusion, and decided to watch the Midnight Channel despite everyone else being unsure if it's necessary? He already knows that Chie, Yukiko and Yosuke seemed to agree that  _ somebody _ might be taken-- perhaps Yukiko a little less than Chie and Yosuke, but still-- and  _ he’d _ been unsure, especially considering the fact that they  _ thought _ Mitsuo was the killer…

Actually, why  _ had _ he thought that? Naoto went on the TV earlier in the month-- therefore he  _ had _ to have known that Mitsuo wasn’t the right one. If Naoto knew, then the others must have figured out that there was someone  _ else _ … and thinking back, Morooka’s death didn’t entirely make sense. He was never inside the Midnight Channel-- there wasn’t a kidnapping, he just…  _ got killed. _ How hadn’t he thought about that before?

Yu scratches his head with a sigh.  _ What’s on my mind that’s keeping me from thinking about this? What was I so focused on? _ Was it general hopefulness that the case would be over, and he could go back to being a normal guy? Was it stress to do with the killings, and worrying about the victims?  _ Was it Yosuke? _

He can’t  _ deny _ that Yosuke’s been on his mind a lot more often than he’s used to. It’s as if he’s just  _ always _ on his mind in some amount, and Yu has only the  _ slightest _ clue why.  _ It’s not worth thinking about. He’d never feel the same way, and I know it. What’s the point in staying caught up in it? _

Yu still can’t get over it, though. When he first got to Inaba, he’d thought that little crush wouldn’t have gone  _ anywhere, _ and now they’re best friends-- and Yu wants  _ more. _ He’s only afraid to tell Yosuke how he feels  _ because _ of how Yosuke acts-- the bathhouse comes to mind, and the camping trip… Yosuke doesn’t have a history of taking things like that  _ well. _ The next time Yosuke does  _ something like that _ , he might just lose his mind.

His focus swaps back to the clock, and Yu realizes that he’s likely to be late if he doesn’t get moving soon. Hopefully Yosuke’s ready to go. Yu stands, heading upstairs to let Yosuke know that they need to get moving, and Yosuke is sat on the couch still, staring blankly at the table. He has the earbuds in, and he doesn’t respond immediately to Yu’s presence, instead taking a few moments before he turns, eyes focusing on Yu. After another pause, he pulls one of the earphones out.

“Are we going?”

“Yeah. We’ll be late otherwise. Hopefully nobody noticed we were gone all yesterday.” While Yu offers his hand to Yosuke, he doesn’t take it this time, instead standing on his own. When he starts walking, Yu notices how odd it is. “Are you alright?”

“Huh? Yeah. I just found out that if I walk on my tiptoes, it doesn’t hurt my foot so bad.” As if to prove it, Yosuke stands on his toes on his hurt foot, as if planning to jump and prove his point. He stops right before doing so, however. “Aaaactually, maybe that’s a bad idea.”

Yu raises an eyebrow. Something's up with Yosuke today. "Let's get going. I don't want you to push yourself too hard."

"I'll be fine, partner!" He grins with a little wink-- something about it feels wrong, and forced. While he plays with the earphone wires, Yosuke heads towards the stairs, only pausing when he's at the top. "You coming?"

Despite being a little further behind, Yu speeds up at the sound of Yosuke's voice. "Sure I am." He stands back as Yosuke descends the stairs, watching as he splits a grin at the bottom.

"See, partner? Walking like this is awkward, sure, but it's working for me!"

"If you need my help again, just ask me." Yu comes down the stairs, now. "I don't mind helping."

"I don't wanna drag you down at all, man. Let's get moving."

"Sure." Yu waves to Nanako as they pass by, retrieving his umbrella from beside the door. "I think we need to discuss what we saw last night with everyone else-- or, everyone who watched it, at least."

"Yeah, that thing behind the silhouette really  _ bugs _ me. Don't know why." Yosuke shrugs.  _ I have a hint, though. I think I know  _ **_exactly_ ** _ what it is. _

"It's weird, for sure. Maybe everyone else has a theory on it. We'll find out, I guess." Yu opens the door, and is immediately greeted by rain, and fog. "Not good."

"It  _ is _ getting worse." Yosuke seems to say to himself. "It's thick, even in the daytime." It can't be good, and he knows it. "We've gotta solve this quick, partner. It  _ can't  _ be long until the fog starts making everyone uneasy again."

Once Yu's umbrella is above his head, they step outside together, both noticing how the fog is almost tangible. They're quiet for a few moments, before Yosuke decides to speak.

"Man, this is all so weird…" One of his hands rests on Yu's shoulder without thinking. "I've got this…  _ super _ uneasy feeling about this." As if looking for validation in his feelings, he looks at Yu, who nods.

"I don't like it either, Yosuke. Whatever's going to happen…" He pauses. "It's not going to be good."

_ I don't like any of this. How are we meant to fight back, when we barely know what we're fighting against? Are we just going to have to keep floundering and not quite knowing? _

Yu swallows loudly.  _ Everything needs to turn out alright. I trust everyone to help-- but god. Everything's on us, now… and I don't know if I like it. _

* * *

"Hey, uh… thanks for speakin' to me so quick, Yosuke-senpai."

Kanji is crouched outside Yasogami High, with Yosuke beside him. They're out of the way enough that nobody's gonna overhear anything, and Yosuke shrugs in response to Kanji.

"Yeah, I have time. What's up? Why speak to me?"

"Well, it's…" Kanji seems to pause, picking his words carefully. "So, you're a dude…"

Yosuke doesn't know if he likes where this is going. 

"I was, like… wonderin' what guys like you  _ like. _ L-like as a gift, I mean--!" He seems to curse under his breath. "A-an' don't get me wrong, I ain't, like, attracted to you, 'cuz that'd weird you out--!" Kanji seems panicked, now. "I-it's just that-- the guy I like seems kinda  _ similar _ to you, alright?!"

Kanji's head sinks into his hands. "Man, way to fuck up what I'm sayin'..."

Yosuke, however, is taken aback. Kanji  _ very seriously _ wants his opinion on  _ gifts? _ He's  _ definitely _ not the guy to ask-- but they're here now…

"I… don't really know. I guess it'd depend on the guy, and what they like…" Yosuke stops for a moment. "You-- you don't have to tell me who it is, by the way. I just think if we both know who we're talking about, it  _ could _ be easier--"

"Nuh-uh! Not sayin'!" He's clearly defensive about the fact. "An' don't bug me about it, either! I just wanna know what a guy like you would want as a gift!"

"I don't know? Tell me what you had in mind."

"I was… thinkin', like… so I could sew him somethin'? Like a plush, or somethin' like that. You think he'd like a plush?"

“I mean… I guess? If it’s made by someone  _ personally, _ then it feels a lot more genuine than just… buying something.” Yosuke thinks for a moment. “Yeah, I think a plush sounds good. What kind of plush were you thinking of making him?”

Now that he’s been given the go-ahead to talk about his sewing, Kanji seems a  _ lot _ more comfortable. “Well, I’ve been uh… testin’ at makin’ a Teddie plush. Y’know, jus’ for the fun of it. Don’t think I’d give him  _ that _ , though… I’unno, yet. Think he likes robots an’ stuff.” Kanji pauses, before he looks up at Yosuke again. “You know any cool robots?”

“Aside from your Persona? Uh… you watched the Phoenix Rangers?”

“W-well duh! We all did!” Another pause, and Kanji lowers his voice. “W… who was your favourite?”

“Yellow Owl, of course! What about you?”

“I liked… I liked Black Condor!” As if more confident, Kanji speaks louder again. “I’d look  _ cool _ in black, right? Right?”

“Sure you would! And I’d look great in yellow!” Yosuke crosses his arms, before he stops. “Wait. Why are we talking about Featherman…?”

“Uhh… robots! Those robots in episode twenty four were somethin’... maybe he’d like somethin’ like that? Can’t think of any other cool robots…”

“I mean, go ahead with whatever you feel he’d like.” Yosuke can’t even  _ think _ of somebody who likes  _ robots _ . Kanji doesn’t need to worry at  _ all _ about him guessing who it is. “I think it’s… cool that you can sew things like that.”

“Y… you think it’s cool?”

"Yeah. I mean, having a hobby you're  _ super _ good at-- I got nothing, basically. You can, like, fix shit, and modify shit, and--" Yosuke stops. His binder is in his pocket, falling apart. If Kanji is gay, then… maybe he can tell him. "Kanji, can… can I ask you a favor?"

"Huh?" He seems taken aback by Yosuke's change in tone. "What  _ kinda _ favor?"

He swallows hard-- it's difficult to come out and say it, even to somebody like Kanji. Yosuke  _ envies _ him for being himself without worrying about what people think about him-- and the fact he's so willing to stick around with  _ him _ after all the crap he's said.

"S-so, I have something that needs… repairing…" He puts his hand into his pocket and holds tightly to it, but he doesn't bring it out yet. "P-promise you won't make fun of me?"

"What? 'Course I won't, Yosuke-senpai." Kanji looks as if he meant to say more, but he doesn't.

With an apprehensive breath, Yosuke glances around before pulling his tatty binder out and showing it to Kanji. "Is… is this repairable?"

"S'at a  _ binder? _ " He reaches out to it.

"Y-yes, shut up-- I don't want people  _ knowing, _ okay!?" When Kanji tries to take it out of Yosuke's hands, he holds tighter to it. "Kanji, please don't tell anyone. Not Rise, or Naoto, or whoever. Especially not our leader."

"Senpai doesn't know?"

"No! I-if he knew, then… I don't know. I don't want him to, like… push me away."

"I… won't tell anyone." Kanji confirms, and Yosuke's grip loosens, letting Kanji pull the binder into his own hands to be assessed.

The fabric is weakening, the threads are coming apart, and it needs some  _ serious _ adjustments, not to mention some kind of fix to the massive tears throughout it. With a couple glances back at Yosuke, holding the tatty binder up to him to check something, Kanji comes to his conclusion.

"Alright, so… it's fixable, yeah. But it's  _ way _ smaller than you-- why've you been wearin' it?"

"It's the only one I have. It's small on the shoulders but not on the chest. If it was bigger, it wouldn't compress my chest well enough--"

"Dude, you're damn  _ stupid. _ Y'should care more about your body. If you got time, I want you to give me a couple measurements. Chest, shoulders, things like that. Hell, come over if you need me to help with 'em. I'll make you a binder that works better."

Yosuke pauses for a moment, swallowing loudly as he takes in what Kanji says. "Y… you're doing that for me?"

"Yeah, dumbass! I ain't gonna just let another guy hurt himself with his binder. Like, dude, what kind of guy d'you take me for?" Kanji tucks the binder into his bag. "Guys like us gotta stick together. Sure, people don't like us, but we got each other."

Yosuke is uncharacteristically quiet for a few long moments, and he can't help but think back to the camping trip. After what feels like forever, he speaks, voice quiet and uncertain.

"I'm sorry about… what I've said to you, dude." He doesn't wait for Kanji to say anything. "I've been a real…  _ real _ jerk to you. I said so much crap I've heard said to me, I thought I'd, like… fit in, if I thought it, too." He forces out an awkward laugh. “But I guess I just hurt us both.”

Kanji just shrugs. “Eh, it’s whatever. I thought you were, like… I’unno. You know how it is when you just sorta  _ connect _ with another guy who’s like you.” Kanji scrunches up his nose. “Guess I knew for a while. Glad you’re comfortable sayin’ it now.”

“...I guess so.” Yosuke wouldn’t describe himself as “comfortable”, talking about his gender. He’s still going to be on edge around other people, and since only  _ two _ of the Investigation Team  _ knows _ , there’s still a lot he has to go through.  _ Nobody even knows I’m gay yet-- except maybe Chie. _ He looks away from Kanji, now, caught up in his own thoughts.

“It’s hard, yeah? Feelin’ like you’re different from everyone else. Took me… damn, must’a been  _ ages _ , figurin’ out that part of me existed. Y’know?” Kanji reaches out, placing a hand on Yosuke’s shoulder. When Yosuke’s attention shifts back to him, he offers him a little smile. “I guess meetin’ you guys helped. Helpin’ me accept my Shadow, an’ all that.”

“Yeah… it’s… hard when that stuff’s like… part of you.”

“Yeah. Easy to tell somebody to accept part’ve themself, but there’s  _ more _ to it than that. You take that crap in, and then you think nobody’s gonna love you. Guess I struggle with that a little, still. I worry the guy I like won’t like me back, ‘cuz I’m scary, or somethin’.”

“He knows you, right?” Yosuke asks. “I think… if he knows you, it should be fine. You’re not…  _ that _ scary, now I know you. I was just scared of you ‘cause you… I dunno. You’re  _ way _ bigger than me, and I got scared you’d beat me up or something.” It sounds embarrassing to admit. “After the crap I said, I’m surprised you never did.”

“Thought about it a few times.” Kanji admits. “You made it  _ real _ hard not to. But… I dunno. Knowin’ this puts everythin’ out right. You an’ I got treated like shit. Don’t wanna hold it against you if you’re apologisin’.” He pauses, and glances down at his pocket. “Nnh. Haven’t heard from Naoto for a while. Hope he’s okay.”

_ Naoto. _ Yosuke jolts as he thinks. “D-did you watch the Midnight Channel last night?”

“H… huh? Thought we caught the killer an’ all that…”

“I don’t think so-- and clearly, Naoto didn’t either. I… I mean, Yu texted you, right?”

“About what you were sayin’ yesterday? Sure. Dunno if he’s in the TV, though. Why’d he be in there?”

“That’s what we’re… planning to talk about after school. I can’t stay long, since I’ve got work, but we  _ need _ to talk about it.”

“Oh. cool.” Kanji seems to think. “So… if we  _ didn’t _ catch the killer, then what was that kid doin’? He had  _ somethin’ _ to do with it, right?”

“I mean, I guess so? Maybe something to do with King Moron’s, uh… murder.” It’s still weird, to Yosuke, thinking about how Morooka is dead. It’s not exactly something he’d ever  _ expected, _ and considering it’s in a similar fashion to how  _ Saki-senpai _ died, he doesn’t know how to feel.

The silence between them becomes awkward in that moment. Murder isn’t something that anyone in the Investigation Team is taking lightly, even if they  _ disliked _ Morooka. As desensitized as they may be, it’s still jarring to see a body hoisted on a telephone pole, mangled almost beyond recognition.

_What if that happened to us?_ _If we hadn’t saved anyone, would that have been everyone? Would it have happened to me? To Chie?_ Yosuke shifts uncomfortably. He’s had a few intrusive nightmares about the Midnight Channel-- maybe his own nightmares are shared by the rest of the Investigation Team, which prompts their quick actions. Maybe Yu gets nightmares _just_ like him about them. _What if it happened to Yu? What would we do?_

Yosuke retches suddenly, a hand rising to cover his mouth. Kanji turns to ask him if he’s okay, but Yosuke puts his other hand up and gives him a pained smile, as if it’ll tell him that he’s fine. Despite his shiver of fear, Yosuke swallows, puts his hand down and just stares at the floor.

Clearly not intending to ask about what had caused such a reaction from Yosuke, Kanji looks away, trying to silently convey to Yosuke that he respects his privacy. He’s shifting his weight between his feet, looking out into the rain and fog beyond the gates of Yasogami, and wondering about what prompted Yosuke to even come out to him. Is it because he knows  _ he’s _ gay, so he thought it’d be safe to come out as trans to him? Or is it because he’d mentioned sewing, and Yosuke had thought about his binder, which he was clearly holding onto, and not  _ wearing. _

He’d ask, but Kanji knows better than to pry into private things. Whatever goes on with Yosuke is for him to talk about-- and not for  _ him _ to ask about. With a grunt, Kanji looks back at Yosuke.

“Hey, Yosuke-senpai…” He begins, and Yosuke looks up at him. He looks  _ tired. _

“Yeah, Kanji?”

“You wanna go get somethin’ to eat? We ain’t got long ‘til lunch is over, but hey, who’s gonna stop us?”

After a pause, Yosuke obviously thinking through all of his possible responses, he nods. “Sure, why not?” He stands slowly, stretching out his arms with a yawn. “Guess it’ll be easier to get food when I’m hanging out with you.”

"How d'you mean?" Kanji stands too, careful to make sure his clothes aren't uncomfortable after prolonged crouching. "You run into problems a lot?"

Yosuke shrugs. "Eh, it's… it's whatever." He seems to pause for a moment, stretching his legs a little. "Well, I mean, when I say it's whatever, I mean, like… if I'm not with someone like Chie, I get pushed around a bit."

Noticing Kanji’s confused expression, Yosuke decides to continue. “Y-you know, like, I’m not a  _ tall _ guy like you. Or intimidating like you. I’m-- I’m kind of a pushover, actually. You haven’t seen me at my worst.”

“I… guess not. We don’t hang out much.” Maybe he regrets that fact. Yosuke seems to hang out with Yu and Chie just fine, and Kanji hangs out with Yu and Naoto. It couldn’t hurt them to hang out more, right? “We got shit in common now, though. I’m free to hang whenever you wanna, dude.”

“I think we always had crap in common, I was just…” Yosuke rubs the back of his head sheepishly. “Well. You know how I’ve acted. Guess I thought either you wouldn’t forgive me, or… something like that.”

“Why wouldn’t I forgive you?” Kanji narrows his eyes. “Like… we’re  _ teens _ , dude. Naoto’s always talkin’ about growin’ and gettin’ better…”

“I-- I know, but, I mean, I thought maybe what I said, like…  _ hurt _ you. A lot. It… it hurt when it was said to  _ me, _ so… does it hurt… less when I say it?” Before he can continue, Kanji claps a hand to his shoulder, slowly leading him back into Yasogami High.

“Don’t think hard about it. I know what it’s like, takin’ in what’s said to you-- you saw my Shadow. But, an’ don’t take this the wrong way, dude, but I’ve literally  _ never _ felt intimidated by you. If I wanted, I could beat you in a fight.”

“Is… that meant to make me feel better?” Yosuke raises an eyebrow, before he laughs quietly. “I guess you could, yeah. I’d wanna try give you and Take-Mikazuchi a run for your money, but with both of us weak to each other, we’d just be trading blows until one of us gives up.”

“Nah, you an’ Jiraiya are  _ way _ faster than us. You’re a fuckin’  _ great _ fighter, dude, in your own way. Why else d’you think Senpai picks you to help on his team?”

“Hey, come on, I’m a support like Yukiko, or Teddie. Yu likes the fact Jiraiya can use Sukukaja on him.”

“Yeah? Chie and I do the same damn thing though, dude. We both deal sheer damage. You’re out there on your own doin’ everyone’s jobs.”

“You’re saying I’m versatile?”

“Yeah, if that word means what I think it does.” 

“It probably does. Anyway, uh-- is it bad for me to ask you to pay for food? I’ve not been home the last few days, I don’t actually… have my wallet.”

“Huh? Oh, sure. You bought me shit after I got my Persona. Plus you came an’ hung out with me… so it’s fine, yeah.”

“Alright. And when classes are over, come up to our class, okay? We’re gonna talk about the next victim.”

“Sure thing, dude.”


	6. September 15th - After School / Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu's too caught up in his own thoughts to pay attention to conversations-- and Rise's already noticed.

“Are we all here?” Yukiko starts counting heads, and Kanji rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, we’re all here.” 

“So, did everyone check the Midnight Channel last night?” Chie speaks up, and Rise shakes her head.

“Were we meant to? I thought we’d caught the killer--?”

“It’s good to check even when we think it’s over-- I mean, you saw all the fog last night, right?” Yukiko glances at Yu. “Did you see it?”

“Yeah, Yosuke and I were watching it together.” He nods, and Chie turns to Yosuke.

“You two were still hanging out at  _ midnight? _ ”

“I stayed at his. We saw it in a storefront on the way back from Junes…” The thoughts of that eerily flickering light, that Shadow behind what he assumes still is Naoto’s silhouette, the way it had all jumped to life, at least ten copies of the same creepy scene. “I think it was Naoto.”

“You think so?” Rise raises an eyebrow. “I mean, he’s a detective, wouldn’t he be able to protect himself? Like, I wouldn’t expect a detective to be walking around without  _ some _ way to defend himself.”

“I…  _ actually _ agree with Yosuke here.” Chie states, suddenly. “I thought it was Naoto, too.”

“The silhouette seemed right to be him. Shorter than a lot of us, like he is.” Yukiko agrees.

“You callin’ him short?” Kanji’s voice gets lost behind Chie’s.

“Yeah, he was definitely on the screen. I think he’ll be in there tonight.”

Yu glances at Yosuke as he shifts around in his seat, avoiding looking at anyone else in the group. Clearly he’s either purposely not mentioning what else they saw, or he’s forgotten.

“We saw something else, too.” Yu decides to take it upon himself to mention it, and all attention turns to him. “Yosuke and I, I mean.” At the continued silence prompting him onwards, Yu continues. “Behind the silhouette - Naoto or otherwise - there was something else. Did anyone else see that?”

“ _ Behind _ Naoto’s silhouette? You’re sure it wasn’t just part of him?” Yukiko offers, but both Yosuke and Yu shake their heads.

“No, it was moving on its own.” Yu looks across at Yosuke again, who simply nods at what he says. “And it was moving  _ weirdly. _ I think maybe something else will be in there with Naoto.”

“And you’re  _ sure _ about this?” Chie narrows her eyes. “I didn’t see anything like that.”

“We can look again tonight.” Yu seems confused. “Yosuke, what do you think it was?”

“Don’t know.” His shoe taps impatiently against the floor, while his fingers drum the table. “It’s been nagging at me.” After a short pause, he huffs. “Teddie texted me earlier to let me know nobody was on the other side, and that he  _ saw _ a silhouette on the TVs in Junes, but he didn’t know who it was. So he’s not  _ in _ there, yet.”

“Hm…” Yu glances past Rise out the window-- the fog is still thick, rain coming down heavy.

“Either way, have you all noticed how…  _ upbeat _ everyone seems to be?” Yukiko rests her head on her hand. “I know that everyone thinks that the murder cases have been solved, but I couldn’t help but notice…” With a tilt of her head, she sighs. “I just noticed it at the Inn, everyone talking about everyone else.”

“Well, what do you expect? We’re in a tiny town! Everybody’s got secrets, and everyone else wants to know them!” Chie leans back in her chair-- almost so far that it could fall backwards. “It’s hard to keep secrets in Inaba.  _ Everyone  _ wants to know your business. You tell one person a secret, and it’s like everyone else knows it within a  _ week. _ ”

“Yeah, I feel that.” Kanji grumbles. “I mean, it was a tiny rumour that got me thrown into the TV, right? That one about me an’ the local biker gangs.”

“That’s true…” Yukiko seems to be thinking.

“I mean, isn’t that how  _ everywhere _ is? Everyone wants to know things… and society just kind of revolves around that.” Rise sighs. “It’s just like that in showbiz, too. I think it’s just… wanting to know more interesting things than are happening to you. I don’t think there’s that much of a reason behind it.”

“Then everyone would be talking about the murderer. How he handed himself over, or something.” Yosuke interjects. “But… I noticed in Junes, people are just talking about like… each other. I heard a few talking about Naoto, but…”

Yosuke stops. “Naoto said that everyone who appeared on TV could end up being kidnapped. He’s been missing since yesterday, we saw a silhouette which  _ could _ have been him… he wants us to work this out as well.”

“Yosuke?” Yu raises an eyebrow. He thought Yosuke had forgotten that conversation with Naoto. “You alright, partner?”

“Naoto has to be taken. He went on and on about how something was  _ wrong _ in how the police handled the case, right? That they wanted it closed quick?”

“Yeah…  _ kiiiiinda _ suspicious, if you ask me.” Chie nods. “Your brain finally turned on?”

“Yeah, right.” Yosuke huffs. “He has access to all this police information. He knew about you guys getting kidnapped. He’d know about Yu and I getting arrested in the Food Court for having weapons, and he’s got  _ some _ idea that we’ve all grouped together for  _ some  _ reason…”

“You think he’s piecin’ together that we’re, like… savin’ the victims?” Kanji tilts his head. “Man, you’re thinkin’ weirdly.”

“He said he thinks we’re the only ones who can stop the  _ real _ perpetrator. He doesn’t think that Mitsuo, or whatever his name was,  _ was _ the killer. Or at least, the  _ real _ one. I know he talked about King Moron and whatever, but I forgot that part, so…”

“He said he needed more ‘decisive evidence’, whatever  _ that _ means.” Chie adds. “That was when we last saw him.”

"Right after he was on TV." Yukiko agrees. "I remember that. It was a special broadcast."

Yu is staring out the window again. Something about this all settles weirdly on his stomach, especially about whatever had been  _ behind _ the silhouette. Had he and Yosuke been the only ones to see it? He knows it can't have been a mistake on the TV, since all of the TVs in the storefront had the same image, hazy and blurred. Something was behind him. Something Yu thinks he recognises, somewhere deep in his mind. He'll need to try and dredge up whatever memories it is that will tell him, but he  _ knows _ it's something important.

"Hey, Yu?" Chie waves her hand in front of his face, and his attention snaps back into the room.

"Huh? What's going on?"

"We were gonna try think about who the killer might be. You got any input?"

Yu pauses for a long while as he thinks. He hadn't been thinking about the killer's identity at all - if it's not Mitsuo, then he has no leads. Somewhere in his mind, he's sure he'll reveal himself when the time comes.

"I think Naoto would have a better idea than us. We should wait until we save him, and he recovers."

"We're losing time, dude." Yosuke mumbles, barely loud enough for Yu to hear. "I can't sleep well when this is nagging at me."

"I have to agree with Yosuke. My sleep hasn't been improving at  _ all _ recently." Yukiko turns to Yosuke, before looking back to Yu. "The fog certainly isn't helping  _ any _ of us. Something about it is just…"

"Yeah, I don't think any of us are sleepin' well." Kanji sits on the edge of one of the tables. "Keep gettin' weird nightmares about fog an' shit. What about you guys?"

"I've been seeing the fog in my dreams, too."

Kanji turns to Yosuke, now. "What about you, dude?"

There's a pause. "Don't wanna talk about it."  _ I keep seeing us dying. I don't know if it's gonna happen, but I keep seeing it. _ With a feigned look at his phone, Yosuke is quick to stand and start excusing himself. "Oh, crap, look at the time-- I've gotta get to work-- see ya!" He's quicker still to leave, barely saying goodbye as he pushes his way out of the classroom.

Yukiko tilts her head. "I wonder what that could be about."

"Well I mean you  _ were _ talking about  _ nightmares. _ Yosuke gets them  _ all the time. _ " Chie says, as if it's common knowledge. "I don't dream most nights, but I've had like one or two nightmares about not having my Persona anymore. Kinda hits hard when you've had them for so long."

"Yeah, I can't imagine not having Himiko." Rise raises an eyebrow. "He seemed kinda flighty this whole time. Maybe Yosuke's got something going on?"

"Aside from work? Nah." Chie once again rocks in her chair. "He's got  _ all sorts _ going on in his head, who  _ knows _ what he's thinking about?"

Kanji stands, now. "I, uh… I got stuff I gotta do, too." He looks at Yu, as if asking if he can leave. "You guys don't mind if we, like… split up for now?"

"That should be fine. I'm sure Senpai gets it." Rise turns to Yu, and he seems to absentmindedly nod at the mention of his honorific.  _ It's like he's barely concentrating. He and Yosuke have been acting  _ **_so_ ** _ weird lately. _

"Alright, we'll split off for now, but hopefully tomorrow we'll have an answer for what's going on." Rise offers a smile to Kanji as he leaves, before looking at Chie and Yukiko. "What about you two?"

"I still have to help around the Inn… with Inaba expecting the murders to stop, we're expecting an influx of visitors, even late into September." Yukiko sighs. "I'd like a long break from work at the Inn. I would say a couple months, but I'd surely get bored in that time."

"Hey come on, you've got us!" Chie smiles. "We're  _ all _ here for you, and we can hang out whenever you want." Finally, Chie stands, holding a hand towards Yukiko. "I'll come help out, if you want."

"Oh! I'd-- I'd like that, but you don't have to--"

"Come on, Yukiko!" Chie lifts Yukiko to her feet with a grin. "Let's get going!"

Now, it's just Rise and Yu, sat together in the classroom.

"Hey, Senpai?"

Yu hums in acknowledgement.

"I was wondering, since you're his best friend--" She pauses, as if finding the right words. "What do you think is  _ up _ with Yosuke?"

"What do you mean?" Yu isn't sure what she's referring to-- there's potentially a  _ lot. _

"I mean, he's been  _ super _ jealous lately. I saw that yesterday. Plus you and him hanging out  _ all  _ yesterday? Him staying at yours?"

There's a pause from Yu, and he swallows. "I kinda…  _ like _ how jealous he gets about me."

"Huh?"

"I-- I mean, like… he's… it's  _ endearing, _ I guess?" Yu's fumbling his words. "Like, I like that he wants to spend time with me, and I like it when he… shows that he prefers spending time with me to anyone else."

Rise smiles knowingly. "I see, Senpai. What else do you think about him?"

"I mean, I think about how much he relies on me, and I  _ worry, _ since… who knows what it's gonna be like when I leave Inaba in Spring, but…" Another pause, and Yu's fingers start tapping on the table. "I don't know. I like being close to him, and I like spending time with him… and I guess I like it when he gets jealous over me. Is that weird? Selfish?"

"Oh, no, I don't think so, Senpai." Again, Rise's smile spreads. "You like Yosuke when he's jealous."

"I… I guess. It makes my chest feel… kind of achy. That-- that isn't saying I don't like Yosuke when he's  _ not _ jealous…" Yu sighs, a little wistfully. "I just think he's… cute. And when he's jealous over me, it's… like he could have feelings for me." Yu stops, before standing. "Whoa, okay. That was… a lot more than I meant to say."

"Hey, it's no problem, Senpai! I won't tell anyone, anyway." Rise stands, too. "How about we walk home together?" She holds out a hand, and Yu takes it without thinking. "Alright, let's go!"

Yu still can't get over how much he just said about Yosuke. About how his chest aches when Yosuke's jealous-- about how he thinks he's  _ cute _ . He just considers himself lucky he didn't mention any of the want to kiss him, or hold him close, lace their fingers together, tell him how much he loves him, cherishes him, and wants to stay with him forever.

Better for Rise to not know about all that.

She, meanwhile, seems to be having a great time, swinging her arm back and forth. "I like walking with you, Senpai. You're always fun."

"You think so? Even when I'm quiet?"

"That's part of what  _ makes _ you fun! You're not  _ always _ talking or asking questions like most guys. I like walking with Yosuke-senpai too, but  _ man, _ he talks to  _ calm himself down. _ "

_ I get why. _ Yu refrains from saying.  _ After what his dad says to him… _

"I think coming back to Inaba for a break from showbiz was a great idea. Even if I almost died, I got to meet you, Senpai! And the rest of the Investigation Team!"

"Yeah, I guess a lot of it was… circumstance. We were lucky enough to all meet. Kinda glad we did."

"Only 'kinda glad'? Something bothering you, Senpai?" Rise stops swinging her arm.

"Well, you know… stress and all that. It's not like we're finding it easy to discover who the killer is-- or finding it easy to save people's lives."

"Yeah, I guess so… it's a whole different kind of heart-pounding than being an idol, that's for sure!" Despite her former loss of enthusiasm, it all seems to come right back. "I like it, Senpai. Even if I'm only your navigator, I can  _ feel  _ some of those battles. Someday, I wonder if I'll get to be on the battlefield-- even if Himiko isn't  _ meant _ for battle."

"I think I'd like you to stay safe." Yu says, and she smiles.

"Aw, that's so  _ like you, _ Senpai." She refrains from saying anything more, though.  _ I  _ **_totally_ ** _ see why Yosuke-senpai's got a megacrush on Senpai. And Senpai feels the same about Yosuke-senpai…?  _

After a lull in the conversation, Rise speaks again. "Senpai, do you like guys?"

Yu seems to almost choke on air, stopping in his tracks. "D-do I what?"

"Like guys. Like Kanji?"

"W-well, I don't have feelings for  _ Kanji. _ " Yu internally curses himself for stressing that he doesn't have feelings for Kanji. He already knows what Rise is going to ask next.

"Oh, I mean guys in  _ general.  _ I just know Kanji likes guys, so I was asking if you're like him."

_ That isn't what I was expecting. _

"I-- I guess?"  _ Yeah, I  _ **_'guess'_ ** _ , when I've had thoughts about kissing Yosuke since we first met.  _ "...why?"

"Oh, no reason!" Rise smiles again. "I was just wondering." As if sensing tension, she quickly changes the subject. "Anyway, so Moronji was telling me about Naoto a little--"

Yu internally breathes a sigh of relief, his heart rate trying to return to normal. He doesn't know _ why _ he's so terrified to let people know he has feelings for Yosuke-- maybe it's because he expects them to pity him or something, since Yosuke is so obviously straight. There's nothing he wants  _ less _ than Yosuke being uncomfortable with him. He already knows he'd miss those stupid little bro touches they do, and how close they can get together.

Yu kind of wishes he'd slept in the same bed at Yosuke last night, but he knows Yosuke would have  _ hated _ it.

"--and apparently, Naoto's actually done some looking into a bunch of old police cases from that Port Island we went to, as well! He was looking into the case that shut power off to one of my concerts!" Rise's still talking when Yu zones back in. "Small world, huh?"

"For sure."

They stop outside of Marukyu Tofu. Somehow, it feels as if they've just  _ barely _ started walking. Time seems to fly when you have a hundred things on your mind.

"Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, okay Senpai? Look after yourself!" Rise waves to him as she enters the store.

"Yeah, you too!" He waves back, not starting to walk again until she's completely out of sight.

Man, he  _ needs _ to talk to somebody about these feelings for Yosuke. They're not doing any good just sitting around stagnating when he can't do anything about them. Maybe he can talk to Kanji, or Yukiko. They'd both understand.

_ I'll talk to one of them tonight. Probably before the Midnight Channel comes on… _

He just hopes that maybe, whatever that thing behind Naoto was, will be clear tonight as well. Not knowing is making him uncomfortable.

* * *

The rain seems to hammer down harder outside, and Yu is sat on his couch, idly waiting for midnight to hit. Time always seems so  _ slow _ on nights like these, and he can't afford to  _ miss _ the broadcast, so it's best to just sit and wait, as stressful as it gets. He's twiddling his thumbs, wondering when Yukiko might text him back about talking, though he knows they should be in a rush to save the next victim. The longer he waits for the broadcast to begin, the more he worries.

_ Will that thing be behind them? Will it be clear, too? Will anyone else see it? _

He shifts uncomfortably, glancing at his bed.  _ Yosuke was there yesterday. I wish he were here today, too. _ He hasn't been sleeping too well recently-- something to do with the stress, the fog, the whole feel of Inaba-- and while nightmares have been infrequent, he's been restless, rolling around, unable to properly sleep. He knows he's not the only one suffering.

His phone pings with a message. Hopefully it's from Yukiko-- but as he looks, it appears to be from… Rise?

**< risetti spaghetti>: ** hey senpai sorry abt earlier  
**< risetti spaghetti>: ** i put u on the spot  
**< risetti spaghetti>:** was just curious tho thx for answering me

**< only a spoonful>:** its alright  
**< only a spoonful>: ** guess i needed to think abt it  
**< only a spoonful>: ** gonna talk 2 kanji or sb abt it

**< risetti spaghetti>: ** more of us in the team?  
**< risetti spaghetti>: ** i like the sound kf this

**< only a spoonful>: ** ???

**< risetti spaghetti>: ** chie?  
**< risetti spaghetti>: ** or yukiko????  
**< risetti spaghetti>: ** WAIT  
**< risetti spaghetti>:** IS IT BOTH?

**< only a spoonful>: ** well its not teddie is it

**< risetti spaghetti>: ** youre so right senpai  
**< risetti spaghetti>: ** wow.  
**< risetti spaghetti>: ** i mean. girls am i right??

**< only a spoonful>: ** girls. i have hward of them.  
**< only a spoonful>:** only once or twice

**< risetti spaghetti>: ** now you sound like moronji  
**< risetti spaghetti>: ** oh, midnight soon  
**< risetti spaghetti>: ** txt back l8r 

Well, that doesn't clear anything up. Judging by Rise's words, though,  _ she _ isn't exactly straight either. Is it  _ just  _ Yosuke who is?

_ Actually, Teddie's still part of the team. _

It seems weird, though. Yosuke being the straight one in the team  _ doesn't  _ make sense to Yu. He doesn't feel like it's right, and he doesn't know  _ why. _

_ Maybe it's just wishful thinking. I wish he wasn't straight so I could kiss him without repercussions-- or without him losing his mind about it. I just want him to feel the same way about me… and maybe that’s selfish of me. _

He looks at his phone again, at the message he's sent to Yukiko. Just a simple question of "can I talk to you about Yosuke?" and nothing more.

Yosuke's been on his mind  _ far _ too often. Whenever his thoughts lull for a while, some thought of Yosuke pushes its way to the forefront of his mind, and it goes from there. Of course Yu cares deeply about him-- so deeply, in fact, that he never wants to let go of him-- but something about it is nagging at him. He'd realized, earlier, that Yosuke was  _ hiding _ something. Repressing something. Maybe something's going to go wrong, the next time they go into the Midnight Channel. He doesn't know  _ what, _ but maybe keeping Yosuke on the team, close to him, could give them a fair warning.

The TV flickers on, and Yu stands, pushing his thoughts to the side. It's a  _ very _ clear image, and it's clearly--!

"Greetings! I am Naoto Shirogane, and I'd like to welcome all of you to the medical procedure of the century!"

Yu's eyes widen as he looks at the Naoto on the screen. His coat seems far too big for him, and he seems  _ very _ interested in… medical procedures?

"I will be the tester and testee of this revolutionary concept, the changing of the very  _ body! _ Ladies, gentlemen, and all who are watching, I do hope you'll stay tuned."

As the screen goes dark, Yu's phone starts ringing. He barely even checks who's calling before answering, pulling the phone up to his ear.

Maybe he regrets that, when the loud voice of Kanji comes through it.

"Naoto! On the screen! That  _ dumbass! _ Got himself caught and for what?! To prove somethin'?!" Kanji sounds  _ angry. _ "Aughhhh-- Senpai! What the hell do we  _ do?! _ "

"We'll gather information tomorrow. Meet in our classroom after school, and we'll see what we can find out." Yu tries to sound calm, but he can't deny that this is… not something he thinks he's going to enjoy. "We'll be careful about this. It clearly means that we never caught the killer."

"So that kid was just a scapegoat or somethin' for the real killer. Damn." Kanji seems to sigh, before Yu hears him sit down. "Sorry about callin' you, Senpai. First thing I thought've."

"It's alright. Let's discuss this tomorrow. I think… we might all need a rest."

"Yeah, for sure. G'night, Senpai."

"Night, Kanji."

Kanji hangs up, and Yu sits himself on his bed, thinking hard about what he'd seen on the Midnight Channel. It was Naoto, for sure, but what could his Shadow possibly have been talking about? A medical procedure to change the body… some kind of surgery. Something that'd either never been done before, or rarely done. Others in the group might have a different idea of what's going on, or what that might mean.

Before Yu has a chance to text anyone else, he receives a text from Yosuke.

**< hanamurass>: ** Saw that thing again  
**< hanamurass>: ** The shadow behind naito  
**< hanamurass>: ** Naoto  
**< hanamurass>: ** Was still supr blurry tho  
**< hanamurass>: ** Dunno wht it is but i dont like it  
**< hanamurass>: ** Did u see it?

**< only a spoonful>: ** i didnt see it  
**< only a spoonful>: ** only naoto on my screen  
**< only a spoonful>: ** ur at home ywah?

**< hanamurass>: ** Yh  
**< hanamurass>: ** Ig i just couldve been seeing things  
**< hanamurass>: ** Cant see v well rn

**< only a spoonful>: ** u ok?

**< hanamurass>: ** Yhyh dw  
**< hanamurass>: ** Got smth in my eye  
**< hanamurass>: ** So its all a bit blurry  
**< hanamurass>: ** Tlk 2morrow?

**< only a spoonful>: ** yea  
**< only a spoonful>: ** slp well yosuke

**< hanamurass>: ** Only cuz u tell me 2  
**< hanamurass>: ** Night dude

So Yosuke saw it, but nobody else has? Did they only see it yesterday because Yosuke was there, or was it just their imagination? Yosuke seemed surprisingly prepared to discard the idea of it meaning anything, and his vision issues just seem like more of a cover up… maybe Yosuke  _ is _ keeping something secret. Yu already knows that  _ something _ must be wrong, and maybe that’s why Yosuke’s been acting so oddly.

Of course, he understands why Yosuke would run from home-- especially after meeting his father. But what could have prompted it? It looks like his dad might just yell at him for no reason, but if Yosuke  _ did _ climb out the window, maybe his father wasn’t even in the room with him, and Yosuke  _ expected _ something.

Yu groans. “Why can’t I just…  _ ask _ him?” Why  _ is _ he so afraid to ask? “I just… want to help him…” Maybe that’s the problem. Yu’s willingness to help, and Yosuke’s unwillingness to  _ accept _ help. Simultaneously, is it Yu being afraid to  _ baby _ Yosuke? He’s already toed that line before-- Yosuke had even mentioned it-- and he doesn’t  _ like _ making his friends uncomfortable, or feel as if they’re  _ less. _

Forgoing more thoughts, Yu texts Yosuke again.

**< only a spoonful>: ** r u sure ur ok?

The response is almost instantaneous.

**< hanamurass>: ** Yh  
**< hanamurass>: ** Tired tho  
**< hanamurass>: ** Wbu why the worry?

**< only a spoonful>: ** rise thought u were acting weird  
**< only a spoonful>: ** and tbh so did teddie  
**< only a spoonful>: ** if you wanna talk im right here  
**< only a spoonful>: ** but i wont force u to

That’s part of his problem. He doesn’t want to force Yosuke to talk, and if Yosuke  _ wants _ to keep something secret, he won’t ever take him up on that.

**< hanamurass>: ** Not atm  
**< hanamurass>: ** Cant rly think rn  
**< hanamurass>: ** U get it right?

**< only a spoonful>:** sure yeah  
**< only a spoonful>: ** its no problem  
**< only a spoonful>: ** just whenever u want lmk

**< hanamurass>: ** I will  
**< hanamurass>: ** Thx for caring tho dude  
**< hanamurass>: ** See u 2morrow

Yu  _ is _ noticing how much Yosuke’s trying to avoid conversation right now. It's as if he just doesn't want anyone near him-- not even  _ Yu _ . Of course that's going to set off alarm bells in Yu's head. Tomorrow, he's decided, he's going to ask Yosuke what's up, against his own better judgement (and contradictory to his own statement), whether Yosuke asks or not. As little as he wants to get forceful, he knows he might need to, just to get an answer out of him.

Teddie's right, seeing Yosuke so down  _ is _ weird, and Yu wants Yosuke back to normal. His happy-go-lucky, sorta stupid, loveable self. The Yosuke that Yu keeps falling back in love with, every single moment he jumps out.

Yu knows it might be part of a facade. That it could be Yosuke's way of hiding how he really feels, hiding his thoughts, feelings, his problems. Even so, Yu misses his bright grins and his unprompted touches, and he wants to help Yosuke feel all of that again, this time without it being a cover up for what he's really feeling. 

With his head now in his hands, Yu tries to recall what he can about Yosuke's Shadow, as if it'll give him a better sense as to what might be making him hurt right now. It had mentioned being  _ bored, _ and that Yosuke would jump at any opportunity to have an adventure, but what else had it said?

_ He's doing things for self-gratification. If he wants something new, and exciting, then… would he want to stop going into the Midnight Channel? But he's already said he's excited to go back in and test out Jiraiya's capabilities… _ Yu narrows his eyes. Something feels off, still, but he doesn't know  _ what. _

Maybe midnight isn't the best time to be coming up with theories about why your best friend has been acting strangely. Yu groans again, laying down in his bed and holding his phone, wondering if Yukiko will respond to him tonight.

_ Maybe thinking about Yosuke's Shadow isn't going to help. He's already accepted that those things are part of him, and surely he's working through them. I need to just… talk with him. Then I'll know what's wrong, instead of just… assuming, based on his old Shadow self. _

With a sigh, Yu plugs his phone in to charge, and stares blankly at the wall.

  
_ I still have time. We all still have time. It’s okay. I don’t have to…  _ Yu blinks, slowly, still trying to think.  _...I really need to talk with him. _


	7. September 16th - After School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The effort to find Naoto is an important one - but various members of the team seem to have other things on their minds.

The day feels as if it’s passing far too slowly for anyone’s liking. Knowing that Naoto is already inside the TV, and that they need to search for information about him-- it’s difficult to focus on lessons, on anything being said. Nobody seems to want to say anything about what’s been happening, and the tension amongst the team is almost  _ palpable _ .

“I’ve told everyone to meet us in here, and we’ll head out and look for clues as soon as we’re all here.” Yu explains, glancing between Yukiko and Chie. “We already know it’ll be hard to find Naoto, so we should plan ahead and find clues on him before going in, and wasting time.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” Yukiko agrees, and she looks at Chie. “Are we going to split into little groups to search for information again?”

“It worked last time, right? I don’t see why we  _ shouldn’t. _ ” Chie smiles, and turns her attention to Yosuke. “Hey, Yosuke, have you heard from Teddie?”

“...he says someone’s in the TV.” Yosuke mumbles. He’s almost retreated into his jacket at this point, headphones turned up loud enough that Chie thinks she could pick out the song he’s listening to. “So Mitsuo wasn’t the killer at all.”

“No, he wasn’t. Naoto mentioned that it was weird, that they could tell  _ how _ Morooka was killed.” Yukiko sighs. “So yesterday’s conversation was correct. Naoto  _ is _ inside the TV, and we’ll have to get him back out.”

“Senpais? I-- I heard you mention Naoto, you guys got a plan?” Kanji bursts into the room, which almost makes Yukiko jump. “Oh-- sorry, Yukiko-senpai.”

“It’s alright, Kanji-kun. We were just discussing our plans. Is Rise-chan with you?”

“Huh? No, I-- I came up on my own. Think she’s still comin’ outta class, or somethin’.” Kanji glances back at the door, before he gets a look at Yosuke. “Geez! Yosuke-senpai, you get roughed up at work or somethin’?!”

Yosuke turns away, hopeful that it’ll turn attention away from his black eye. “Yeah, something like that.” He seems unwilling to talk about it, however. “I told you yesterday, I’m easy to push around.”

“Yeah, but  _ at work? _ You better show who did it, I’ll give ‘em a--” Kanji stops when he sees Yu looking at him. “--Uh, I mean… I  _ shouldn’t  _ rough somebody up… unless you wanted me to, Yosuke-senpai.”

“It’s fine.” Judging by his tone, it’s  _ not _ fine. “So who’s going with who?”

“We should wait for Rise to turn up, right?” Chie turns to Yu. “Do you have anyone you wanna go with?”

“Yukiko, would it be alright if I went with you?” When Yu asks, she seems taken aback for a moment.

“Oh! Of course!” She smiles. “It’ll be nice to spend time with you. What about you, Chie?”

“ _ I _ think I’m gonna stick with Yosuke.” Despite her tone, she's  _ really _ worried about Yosuke. He's been acting weird all week, and it's only getting worse with all of his odd injuries and actions. "You alright with that?"

"Thanks, Chie." Yosuke is still quiet. "I'll hang out with you, yeah."

"So that leaves Kanji and Rise." Yu raises his eyebrows.

"Yeah! Now  _ that'll  _ be an odd pair to see walking around!" Chie grins, and Kanji seems to look away.

"Hey, come on. No odder than you an' Yosuke-senpai."

There's a lull in the conversation, before the door opens.

"Oh! You guys are already here. Neat! I've already started trying to gather information." Rise walks in, smiling brightly. "What's the plan, Senpai?"

"You and Kanji are looking for clues together. Yukiko and I are going to head towards the shopping district. Just decide where you think would be best to find information."

"Cool! Kanji, let's head towards the North end of the shopping district!"

"Uh-- alright." As soon as the words have left his mouth, Kanji's being dragged behind Rise. "W-whoa, hey!"

Yu stands, looking over Chie and Yosuke. "That means you two can look around the school. Hopefully there's some good information around here…"

"Ha, don't even  _ sweat _ it, Yu! I know  _ all _ the best people to talk to about this stuff." Chie grins wider. "Yosuke and I will find something  _ amazing _ , just you wait!" She waves to the two as they leave the classroom, before she turns back to Yosuke. “...are you doing okay?”

“...yeah, let’s just find what we can and get moving. We don’t wanna have to deal with Kanji talking about Naoto all the time…” Yosuke stands slowly, holding himself still for a few moments.

“Like we don’t get that with you about  _ Yu? _ ” While Chie means it in jest, Yosuke just groans.

“I-- I know. I’m a hypocrite. Just-- don’t tell him that I talk about him all the time.”

“I think it’s too late for that, dude. He already knows, for  _ sure. _ ” Chie holds her hand out to Yosuke, and he grabs the wrist of her jacket. “Oookay, let’s talk to people around school. Who  _ knows _ what kind of rumours we might hear?”

“About Naoto, or about anything?”

“Who knows! I told Yu that I know all the best people to go to, and I do! So, let’s go find them!” She starts leading Yosuke along, heading out of the classroom and towards the stairs. “There’s this girl on the first floor who I’ve  _ heard _ knows  _ so much _ about Naoto. Apparently, she’s a  _ really _ big fan of his-- so that should be our first place to go!”

“Where do you  _ learn _ all this stuff?” Yosuke raises his eyebrows, struggling to keep up with exactly where they are. They’re somewhere on the first floor, he thinks. “I knew you were some kind of information sponge, but  _ geez, _ do you just  _ listen in _ to people’s conversations?”

“Weeeell, only if I think it’s  _ interesting. _ I’ve gotta figure out how much time I’m willing to put in, you know!” Chie stops in her tracks. “Like  _ you _ don’t go eavesdropping sometimes?”

“I--! Well I-- I  _ do, _ but--”

“Then you’re just as bad as me! You can’t  _ really  _ say anything about it.” Chie's still pulling Yosuke along, until they come to an abrupt halt in front of the laboratories. 

"Oh. You two are second years…" The girl in front of them seems confused for a moment. "Why are you coming to me?"

" _ We've _ heard that you know stuff about Naoto!" Chie starts, placing her hands on her hips. Yosuke lets go of her sleeve. "So I wanna know what kinda gossip you know about him."

"Gossip on the Detective Prince?" At the mention of Naoto, the girl seems to relax. "The most recent gossip I have about him is that he was getting  _ really _ angry at a police officer a few days ago. He seemed worked up about something."

"Worked up?" Yosuke thinks for a moment. "Then he's still thinking about the case. He doesn't think it's finished, after all."

"Bingo. Either way, I think that cop is wandering around sorta near Konishi Liquors." She stops, before speaking again. "So I know I normally just have gossip on Naoto, but I  _ did _ happen to hear something else…"

"Oh? What sorta thing did you hear?" Chie leans closer, raising her eyebrows.

"I heard that Risette walked home with that white-haired boy from 2-2. They were holding hands and everything!" She seems proud to know this information. "I know she's not the first who's tried to date him, but it's  _ something  _ that she managed it!"

Yosuke grits his teeth hard enough that it hurts. He lets out a huff of air from his nose, a frown taking over his features-- and Chie notices his change in posture, the way he's stiffened up. Sensing that they shouldn't push this any further, Chie smiles, to try and take away from Yosuke's anger.

"Alright, cool, thanks for letting us know!" Chie has to grab Yosuke's wrist and pull him along behind her as he quietly seethes. She clearly thinks she has all the information they need, leading him out the front gate of Yasogami, and heading towards town.

"I  _ knew _ it." Yosuke mumbles. "Knew they were…"

"What do you mean?" Chie just wants to help Yosuke right now-- he looks  _ pissed off. _

"That Rise was--! You  _ heard _ what she said! Rise walked home with him yesterday! They were holding hands!" Yosuke makes a sound similar to anguish. "Why the  _ hell _ am I so  _ jealous _ of that?!"

"You're jealous? Of… what?"

" _ Rise! _ " He pulls his wrist out of Chie's hand. "She's walking around with  _ my _ damn partner, and  _ she _ gets to hold his hand? Not  _ me? _ I  _ know _ he won't ever give me the chance, but-- dammit!" Yosuke is almost stomping as they walk. "Stupid tight awkward feeling in my damn chest thinking about it."

"That's not your binder?"

"No! I gave my binder to Kanji yesterday to fix it-- I  _ know _ this is about my partner! Whenever he hangs out with Rise, I get this stupid feeling in my chest! It feels like my heart's being pulled around-- and I  _ hate  _ it!" Another huff out of Yosuke's mouth, and he shoves his hands into his pockets. "Don't even know why I'm  _ bothering. _ I know he won't feel the same damn way-- I just wish that  _ I _ was Rise, so he'd give me a damn chance."

"You're jealous of Rise because she's… dating Yu?" Chie knows that Rise  _ does _ act like that a lot-- but she didn't think they were  _ actually _ dating. "Yosuke?"

"Yeah, I'm jealous.  _ I  _ want to date him, okay!? I want  _ him _ to date  _ me! _ Is that wrong? Yes! Is it bad? Yeah! And I  _ know _ I'm gonna have to take it to my damn grave, 'cause he's never gonna feel the same, and if I tell him, my life ends  _ anyway! _ " He pulls his headphones back on, turning his music up loud again and lowering his voice. "It's fucking stupid, and unfair! How come  _ Rise _ gets him, when I've… I've…"

_ When I've done nothing but be a stupid pain in the ass to him since we met? I've only ever held him down-- and he knows that. _

Chie's voice is surprisingly gentle. "Yosuke, I think we should go somewhere else. Nobody's gonna come out to the Samegawa looking for information, so we  _ could  _ go there." Her hand rests gently onto Yosuke's shoulder, and he sighs.

"Yeah, fine, whatever." He's trying not to feel too much-- he knows that if he thinks too hard about Rise and Yu, he'll start crying. He doesn't want to cry, especially not in front of Chie. "I just wanna get this all over with so I can go home and get yelled at for skipping work."

"You  _ literally _ just have to say the word, and I'd kick your dad's ass." Chie's grip on Yosuke's shoulder tightens. "Kanji would too-- hell, I think  _ all  _ of us would try."

"I don't wanna be a bother on you guys. It doesn't matter  _ that _ much." Yosuke seems more focused on his music, now. "I can put up with it."

"Okay, but  _ only _ if you're sure."

"I am. Don't worry about it."

Yosuke goes completely silent, and Chie sighs. He's following along with her, so she removes her hand from his shoulder, instead pulling her phone out and texting Yu, to let him know what they've found out.

**< i wanna be tomoe>:** found out tht naoto was yelling at a cop a few days back  
**< i wanna be tomoe>: ** yeard the cop was near the liqor place  
**< i wanna be tomoe>: ** past kanjis  
**< i wanna be tomoe>: ** mayb he knows smth?

She doesn't anticipate a reply at all. Yu should be busy finding information in the shopping district, which they've bypassed entirely.

"Hey, where are we going, again…?" Yosuke turns to Chie.

"Let's just hang out by the Samegawa. It'll be kinda nice to be by the water."

Yosuke nods.

_ Man, I never noticed it when we were with everyone else, but he's acting  _ **_super_ ** _ weird. It's kind of suspicious. _ Chie wonders to herself what could be going on in Yosuke's head. The mention of the cop being near Konishi Liquors didn't seem to affect him-- and Chie knew all about that little 'crush'. She's loathed to call it that-- Saki didn't ever seem interested in Yosuke, and she kind of pities him for that.

The jealousy about Rise, however, is something she  _ never _ expected, especially alongside the information they got about Yu and Rise walking home. Honestly, she'd never thought that Yu was the type--  _ or _ that he even felt the same way about Rise.

_ Kinda odd. I didn't think Yu even  _ **_liked_ ** _ girls, considering how he's acted towards everyone else's advances.  _ She hums as she thinks.  _ It  _ **_is_ ** _ gossip, though. Maybe there's a reason? And Yu didn't ask to go with Rise today… so what  _ **_is_ ** _ going on? _

When they reach the river, Yosuke crouches surprisingly near it, looking straight ahead and into the water. Since all the rain, the river's swelled a little, and he seems to contemplate a few things, before he reaches into the water, retrieving a small stone. After seemingly admiring it for a moment, he skips it across the surface of the river.

"Chie?" Yosuke looks up at her as he grabs another stone out of the water. "Why the  _ hell _ is this all happening?"

"Wish I could tell you, dude. Sucks that it has to be us stopping the killer, but… I guess it's kinda fun, in a way."

"Nobody will even know it was us. I've been thinking about it. I dunno what my damn problem is-- I wanna be a hero so bad, I keep…" Yosuke stops. "Nevermind."

"Hey, it's alright. It's just me here, you can tell me if something's bothering you."

"I don't know. Just throwing thoughts out there. Thinking about how… it's  _ because  _ of Yu that we're all… here."

"I've thought about that, too. He's the one who first took us into the TV. He decided to go in to save Yukiko-- and I know you guys told me  _ not _ to jump in, but I wasn't just gonna  _ leave her _ to die."

"Yeah. I… I get why you did that. You like somebody, so you don't wanna see them dead."

"Is that how you feel about Yu?"

"Yeah. I wanna be there for him, no matter what. I want to… support him like he's supported us. I just…" Yosuke sighs, his hand still in the water. "It's stupid. I wanna wake up to him every morning. I wanna hear him say good morning to me, and like… cuddle me, I guess? I just… wanna spend my life with him. You're the only person who I can tell that."

"And  _ nobody _ else knows that?"

"No. I can't…  _ tell _ anyone else. Because Yu would never feel the same way, and my parents would  _ kill _ me, and after the way I've acted, who knows what everyone thinks of me?"

"I mean, you  _ do _ have a point. You've said some… kinda nasty things. I know you're repeating what's been said to  _ you _ , but…"

"Yeah. I… I know. Let's… just forget about this conversation."

Yosuke goes silent again.

_ She thinks I've said nasty things. I have. I'm still only being  _ **_tolerated_ ** _. Acting like it's anything more would be… stupid. _

While Yosuke retreats back into his thoughts, Chie decides to try find out what's going on with the rest of the group. Maybe by now they'll have a lead.

**< i wanna be tomoe>: ** whatve u found so far  
**< i wanna be tomoe>: ** anythig good???

**< princess funnylaugh>: ** yu is talking to the cop  
**< princess funnylaugh>: ** we saw kanji-kun earlier and he suggested threatening the cop  
**< princess funnylaugh>:** yu didn’t seem to agree  
**< princess funnylaugh>: ** don’t tell yu but i would have liked to see it

**< i wanna be tomoe>: ** anything else cool???

**< princess funnylaugh>: ** not much else  
**< princess funnylaugh>: ** where are you and yosuke right now?

**< i wanna be tomoe>: ** samegawa  
**< i wanna be tomoe>: ** nothings going on here

**< princess funnylaugh>: ** if we can't get anything out of the officer, we'll come over  
**< princess funnylaugh>: ** rise-chan and kanji-kun seem to be almost stuck as well  
**< princess funnylaugh>: ** if we can't find information for rise-chan to work with, we might have a problem.

**< i wanna be tomoe>: ** for sure  
**< i wanna be tomoe>: ** gl, and take care

**< princess funnylaugh>: ** we will  
**< princess funnylaugh>: ** see you soon

Chie internally debates with herself whether she's going to tell Yosuke that Yu and Yukiko could be heading over. On one hand, it'd give him a chance to figure something out, but on the other, he might suggest leaving, so that Yu doesn't see him so torn up. After a few minutes of thought, she seems to come to a conclusion.

"Yu and Yukiko are gonna be coming here."

"Cool." Is his only response. He seems far more focused on the water than anything else, picking rock after rock up from the riverbed and looking at them. 

Chie’s not going to say anything to take him out of his thought processes-- it’s kind of weird to watch happening, however. She can see one of his shoes tapping against the floor, and his arm is completely still in the water, and when he fishes out another rock, he barely gives it a glance before he tosses it back in. After another moment, he groans  _ loudly, _ falling back onto the still-wet grass and lying there.

“Why is everything happening  _ right now? _ ” Yosuke asks, and Chie isn’t sure if the question is even directed at her. “Why did I have to have this stupid realization, and why did Yu have to start dating Rise, and why did Naoto have to get his stupid self  _ kidnapped _ \-- not that I even  _ blame _ anyone else, I just wish I didn’t have to think about everything else while worrying about  _ myself. _ ”

He rolls his eyes at nothing in particular. “I’m stupid, and I’m selfish for wanting time to figure shit out, and I honestly,  _ honestly, _ just want a good night’s sleep. Or five.” He turns, now, looking directly at Chie. “You kick hard. Think you could kick me into a coma?”

Chie’s surprised at his question. “Listen, dude, as much as I joke about kicking you, I am  _ not _ doing that.”

“Joke about it? You’ve kicked me enough times. Before you knew I was--  _ yeah _ \-- you kicked me in the nuts. I don’t even have ‘em and that  _ hurt! _ ”

“Well, I’m sorry, but  _ you _ cracked the disk of my Trial of the Dragon! I think it was fitting!” Before she says something out of line, Chie bites back another retort. “I’m not arguing with you about this.”

“What’s there even to argue about? I already know I’m selfish for all the things I want.” Yosuke turns his head, looking away from Chie. “This is all  _ stupid. _ I want it to stop so I can go back to being a  _ regular  _ damn guy. I don’t care if I feel unfulfilled in my stupid job at Junes. Not like anything’s gonna get better, even when we  _ do _ catch the killer.”

“Yosuke. Our best friends almost got killed by the killer. Of  _ course _ things are gonna get better! You put yourself in danger to save people’s lives! We  _ all _ do!”

“And nobody’ll ever  _ know! _ What do I do with that information? We’re working behind everyone’s backs and nobody will know! I’m gonna be wandering around in like a years time wondering why I’m still getting picked on  _ like always _ when I’ve put myself in danger to save lives?!”

“Yosuke, it  _ isn’t about  _ **_us!_ ** ” Chie yells, and Yosuke sits up.

“It isn’t about us. That’s why you jumped into the TV behind Yu and I to try save Yukiko.”

“And that’s why  _ you  _ went in to find out what happened to Saki?”

“My Shadow was right. I didn’t go in for her. I went in ‘cause I wanted something  _ exciting _ to happen out here. I wish I didn’t.” Yosuke lies back down. “It’s ‘cause I wanted excitement that we’re in this mess.”

“ _ No, _ we’re in this mess ‘cause somebody is  _ throwing people into the TV  _ to  _ kill them. _ ”

“Fine! Then _I’m_ in this mess because **_I_** wanted excitement! It’s my fault! I _know!_ ”

Chie stops, looking down at Yosuke. She’s already said she doesn’t want to argue, and Yosuke keeps pushing it… but she’s not going to kick him.

“Yosuke, dude, you need to think about this. Not argue with me.” Chie looks now towards the water. “I don’t know what’s in your head right now, but you… you gotta start hating yourself less.”

He looks away from her, shutting his eyes as he thinks.

_ You’re nothing but a problem on all of your friends. You’re gonna get left behind again, and it’s gonna be all your fault. _

His voice is subdued, now. He’s given up fighting. “...I’ll do my best.”

“Do it for yourself, dude. Not for us. You’re not happy.”

He doesn’t want to say anything about that. He’s always pretended to be happy so nobody thinks anything’s wrong… but now Chie knows basically everything aside from his Shadow’s resurgence. On some levels, he’s glad he’s gotten it off his chest-- but it hasn’t made him feel better, only  _ worse. _ His greatest fears of being barely  _ tolerated _ are so, so close to coming true. If he were certain he wouldn’t be asked after, he’d just stop joining in with the Investigation Team, he’d go back to being a normal guy, Persona or not-- not that he has access to Jiraiya  _ anyway. _

“You two are still here!” Another voice cuts over his thoughts, and he turns. “That’s good. We’re at a standstill in the search for information…”

Yukiko and Yu are stood at the base of the steps, and Yu is looking straight at him.

“You comfortable, Yosuke?”

Forcing up a smile, he focuses on Yu. “I’ve slept in worse places.” He doesn’t make any attempt to sit up, however. “What kinda standstill?”

“The police won’t talk to us.” Yu steps out towards Yosuke, crouching down beside him. “Until we figure out how to get information out of him, we’re stuck with no way of finding Naoto.”

“We could steal uniforms.” Yosuke suggests. “Pretend to be cops ourselves.”

“Yeah  _ right. _ Like you’ll ever see me wearing  _ that. _ ” Chie scoffs. “He’s part of the school, right? Why don’t we say we’re worried about him?”

“I think that Kanji-kun may have tried that-- but Yu, you’re a lot more convincing than any of us.” Yukiko turns to him, and he nods.

“Yeah, I can try that. I’ll go alone, and we’ll see what information I can get.” Before Yu stands, he gently pats Yosuke’s shoulder, as if to comfort him. “You guys stick around here, and I’ll be back soon, hopefully.”

As he leaves, Yosuke finally sits up again, watching him almost wistfully. He’s completely silent as Yu leaves, sighing softly to himself as he gets further away. Without a word, Yosuke stands up, and heads towards the stairs.

“I’m gonna go to work. Can’t afford not to.” He sounds tireder than ever. “See you guys.”

Both Chie and Yukiko watch him leave, offering goodbyes as he trudges up the steps and away from the floodplain. After a few moments of silence, Chie looks to Yukiko.

“Hey, Yukiko, uh-- how  _ has _ everything been going with Yu?”

“What do you mean?”

“ _ Weeeell, _ I can’t be the only one who’s noticed how he’s acting.” Chie sits down on the steps, and Yukiko sits next to her. “I know we’ve been focused on saving Naoto and whatever, and that Yosuke’s acting weird, but… Yu just seems to be  _ super _ out of it.”

“Hm… well he mentioned to me that he’s stressed over the case, of course. He’d thought that Mitsuo was the killer.”

“ _ Really? _ I always thought he had somebody else in mind.” Chie seems surprised at that. “Just stress? Like… I’ve already  _ noticed _ he’s more confident in the TV than outside, but like… what’s he even  _ thinking _ about?”

“He mentioned Yosuke, actually. Just that he was worried about him… so maybe it’s to do with Yosuke acting weird. Do you know why Yosuke is?” Yukiko raises an eyebrow. “That’s why you’re asking me, right?”

“I have…  _ some _ ideas about why Yosuke’s acting like that, but I can’t really  _ say _ them.” Before Yukiko can ask why, Chie turns away. “Like… we promised.” Maybe that’s a lie. Maybe she’s just covering for Yosuke because she feels like she owes it to him, especially now. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you, Yukiko.”

“No, no, I understand. If it were our secrets, we could tell each other, but that’s Yosuke’s secret.” Yukiko places her hand on top of Chie’s, and Chie turns back to her with a little bit of a smile on her face. “I’m sure everything will work out. Yu said he was going to talk to Yosuke later, anyway. Hopefully before we go into the TV again.”

“Will we have time? I thought we were gonna go straight into the TV after Yu found out something about Naoto.”

“We might not be able to get all the information today. Naoto seems to be extremely secretive about himself… even in that special broadcast, he didn’t talk much about himself, or the case.”

“That’s true. I just don’t know how much longer we can go on with Yu and Yosuke… acting so  _ weird. _ Something’s  _ up _ with them both.” Chie moves her hand slightly, trying to act as if she’s absentmindedly holding Yukiko’s hand. “They’re spending a lot of time together…”

“Well, we do the same, don’t we?” Yukiko seems to hold Chie’s hand a little tighter. “But I do agree, it’s getting  _ very _ tense. I don’t know what’s going to happen between them.”

“I mean, if you  _ are _ right, and Yu’s just stressed out, he would be back to normal in no time, right? I get being stressed about the killings and everything, but… I dunno. I think it’s something else.”

“Whatever it is, I hope they don’t argue about it. They seem so close, seeing them argue might splinter the entire group.”

“You think so?” Chie doesn’t seem convinced. “I get that Yu’s our leader and all that, but he’s not  _ selfish _ like that. He wouldn’t stop us from saving people just because he had a falling out with Yosuke.”

“And Yosuke? He’s clearly not…  _ stable, _ I guess. He ran from home and decided to come to me. That’s odd, isn’t it?”

“Ehh, not so much on the running from home. Going to you, though? Maybe a little. Normally he comes to see me.” With a tilt of her head, Chie sighs. “It didn’t really help with rumours when people saw us hanging out together, but I think everyone’s  _ way _ past that by now.”

“That’s true. There’s a lot more rumours going around, it’s almost odd. I just… worry. I know yesterday I mentioned people talking about each other more than anything else, since everyone thought Mitsuo was the killer… do you think that all these rumours are causing problems?”

“When  _ haven’t _ they? I mean, rumours are what got Kanji thrown into the TV, and Rise, too. Maybe you a little, too.”

Yukiko shrugs gently. “I guess so. I wonder what everyone else thinks…”

“I mean, at this point, who  _ cares _ what everyone else thinks? If we think these rumours are bad, then…”

“It can’t be as easy as that, now can it? Rumours are how we’re getting information on Naoto. We’re entirely going by word of mouth, here. If we’re as reliant on them as the killer is in throwing people in, then…” There’s a pause as Yukiko thinks. It’s all very  _ odd _ , to her. All these rumours, people being thrown into the TV world after appearing on TV… and their Shadow selves revealing their deepest secrets. “Do you think that makes us  _ similar? _ ”

“So the killer knows a few rumours. So what?”

“If people’s Shadows are revealing their true selves… maybe they’re using these rumours to get people to  _ do _ that. People want to know these things about people, don’t they? So they find someone with a lot of rumours, that has turned up on TV, and throw them in.”

“I dunno, Yukiko… still seems kinda weird to me. Did you hear  _ any _ rumours about Saki before she was thrown in? And there wasn’t a long period of time between when she was thrown in, and when Ms. Yamano was…” Chie raises her other hand to her head, absentmindedly grabbing onto her own hair as she thinks. “It’s  _ all _ kinda weird. I don’t know what’s going on-- I guess I’m just kinda saying whatever’s popping into my head…”

“It’s understandable. We’re all trying to figure it out, and it’s all… very hard to figure out, that’s for sure. We’ve already pulled quite a few dead ends in our investigation.”

“Haha… yeah… I can’t imagine what’s going on with everyone else’s theories. Yosuke may as well have gone off the deep end thinking about it.”

“Is that part of what’s stressing him out?”

“I… think so, yeah. I guess. He’s just… everywhere, you know? And I think I’m the only person he’s told.”

“Really? He hasn’t even told Yu? That’s…” Yukiko pauses. “Odd.”

Chie laughs a little awkwardly. “Ha… yeah, I think he’s…  _ figuring _ stuff out.”

“Figuring… stuff out?” Yukiko echoes, before the expression on Yukiko’s face changes very suddenly, to that of almost disbelief. Despite this sudden change, she says nothing more, as if piecing something together in her head.

“Yeah! Like--  _ you know. _ He’s just… Yosuke.” After too many moments of pause, Chie forces up another laugh. “A-anyway, actually-- how have you been?”

As soon as Chie asks, Yukiko relaxes into the conversation, and Chie finds herself doing the same, smiling brightly alongside her. It’s nice to be able to just catch up like normal, even in the middle of a crisis. Honestly, it grounds Chie like nothing else can-- holding onto that semblance of being normal and okay just makes her feel  _ way _ better-- and she hopes the same is true for Yukiko.

The two must be talking for a while, as the sun is starting to dip low in the sky before they’re snapped out of the conversation by footsteps. The owner of said footsteps is walking slowly, and the sound of clothes rustling in the wind is what makes Chie turn, finding herself looking up at Yu, descending the steps beside them.

He glances around for a few moments, before he speaks. “Sorry I took so long. Did Yosuke go somewhere?”

“Work, apparently.” Chie shrugs. “You find anything out?”

“Naoto’s obsessed with the case. That’s all I’ve got right now… I’m gonna come out tomorrow after school and see if I can get something out of another officer. You guys don’t need to come with me then.” Yu sits beside Yukiko, clearly not noticing-- or not mentioning-- the two of them holding hands. “How long was I gone for?”

“Dunno. It’s getting late, though. We might need to head back soon, else our families might get worried…” Yukiko glances at Chie, before looking back at Yu. “Are you going to talk to Yosuke?”

“Planning to, yeah. I’ll find him at Junes, maybe I can walk back with him and we can talk on the way.”

“Good luck, leader. You might need it, with how secretive he’s been lately.” Chie seems to laugh a little, though she doesn’t entirely mean it all in jest. “It’s like trying to get information out of these cops, clearly.”

That just seems to make Yu more determined. “Then I’ll have to choose my words carefully. I want to know what’s wrong, and why he’s been acting so weirdly.”

“Is he acting weird when in private with you, too?” Yukiko raises her eyebrows. “I don’t  _ mean _ to pry, but… I  _ am _ interested.”

“A little. He’s… on edge. Or something like that. Like… sometimes he’s normal, and other times, he doesn’t want to be near me at all.” Yu looks away for a moment, at where Yosuke had been possibly hours before. “I think it was something I said to him-- or something I didn’t say. Or… something! I can’t figure out  _ what. _ ” Something about the way Yu’s voice changes surprises Chie. “I-- I shouldn’t dump my problems on you two, though. Don’t worry about me.” With a little smile, he stands again. “Anyway… I’ll head towards Junes.”

“Hey, wait a sec man--!” Chie stands, catching Yu’s shoulder as he tries to walk away. “You can’t just drop that on us and not  _ tell  _ us what’s going on?”

Yu seems to clam up at that, his posture stiffening as he glances over his shoulder at Chie, and Yukiko, as she stands. The expression on his face seems to go through a hundred feelings a second, before he settles on a queasy smile that doesn’t alleviate anything, and he steps out of Chie’s grasp.

“It’s alright, don’t worry.” He says, as if he’s rehearsed it a hundred times, and the words settle so well on his tongue. Hiding his own feelings and problems just comes so  _ naturally _ . “I’ll see you two tomorrow. Stay safe.”

And with that, he’s gone, climbing the stairs and practically bolting away from the floodplain, leaving behind a very confused Chie and Yukiko. The two share a glance of concern, before Chie starts climbing the steps, too.

“I can’t believe I thought he was some kind of perfect guy when I met him. That guy's  _ awwwwwkward _ .” Chie rolls her eyes, before glancing back at Yukiko. “You coming?”

“Where are we going?” Yukiko joins her, however.

“I dunno. Wherever? You think you could tell your family you’re hanging out with me and they’d be fine with it?”

“Mm… I could try, especially for you.” Yukiko smiles, pulling her phone from her pocket.

At least Yukiko seems to be normal, and for a little while, Chie can forget her worries about the rest of the team, and the case.

* * *

“Thanks for coming to Junes, we hope you come again!” Yosuke smiles insincerely, his voice much lighter and happier than it’s been in weeks. The moment everyone’s out of earshot, Yosuke turns back to Teddie, his voice dropping back into his regular self, and the way his arms fall back to his sides is indicative of his pure  _ hatred. _ “I  _ hate _ this, Teddie.”

“You said you wanted to try the suit on! Not my fault you got roped into  _ my _ job because of it!” Teddie seems to be enjoying himself, however. “Look at me! I’m the son of the manager! That’s a new one! Teddie, heir to the Junes fortune!”

“You have no idea how  _ badly _ I want to hit you right now.” Yosuke waves one of the suit arms threateningly. “This damn suit is so… stuffy! I feel like I’m  _ boiling _ in here!”

“Now you know how  _ I  _ feel! There’s a reason I don’t wear anything under it!”

Yosuke practically  _ screams _ , jumping backwards, and away from Teddie. “ _ Get me out of this thing,  _ **_now!_ ** ” He’s rapidly trying to pull at the zipper, but the lack of fingers on the suit is causing him problems. “ **_Teddie!_ ** ”

“Hey, I was just  _ joking! _ Sheesh, Yosuke! You’re more nervous than a Shadow sometimes!”

Behind that stupid suit face, Yosuke is  _ seething _ at Teddie. After everything that’s happened recently, a joke like that  _ isn’t _ going to be taken well. He stomps his good foot, glowering at Teddie, though he can’t see it.

“Teddie.” Yosuke starts, taking a step towards him. “Get me out of this suit.”

“Nuh-uh! Not until the shift’s over! I’m having  _ fun _ being you!” Teddie winks and stands a little taller, and Yosuke huffs.

“You’re not even convincing! I mean, first off, you’re  _ obviously _ not me, ‘cause you’re  _ white! _ ” Yosuke jabs one of the suit-hands at Teddie. “Second off, you’re not even being  _ me! _ Nobody’s going to you with stupid complaints or anything!” He lowers his voice for a moment, however. “But I guess nobody knows I’m  _ in _ here, so it’s… not  _ all _ bad.”

“See! I knew you’d come around! Anyway, what was with those two aprons in your locker? Are you hoarding them?” Teddie tilts his head, and Yosuke jolts.

“Were you  _ snooping _ in my stuff,  _ again?! _ ”

“Snooping?! You  _ wound _ me, Yosuke! I was just having a look around!”

“ _ Snooping! _ In my stuff!  _ Again! _ For the  _ second time! _ ” Yosuke’s still struggling with the zipper. “Stop it! Or I’ll take your pay as well as my own!”

“That’s not fair!” Teddie pouts. “I worked for that!”

“Yeah, as if hanging out in a  _ bear suit _ counts as work!” After a few more moments of struggling, Yosuke gives up with the suit. “Dammit, you better let me out of this after work, or I’ll-- I’ll…”

“Of course I will, Yosuke! But  _ only _ after I take a picture with  _ your _ phone and send it to everybody!”

“Over my  _ dead body, Ted. _ ” Yosuke growls, and Teddie just seems to grin brighter.

“Have fun in that suit forever, then!” He laughs loudly, almost attracting the attention of nearby shoppers-- and Yosuke pushes him.

“Shut up! This isn’t funny! You’re gonna get me out of this suit, or I’m gonna push you into the complaints department and leave you there to take complaints  _ forever! _ ”

“You’re so unfair, Yosuke!” Teddie shakes his head. “Shame on you!”

Yosuke sees no point in continuing to argue. He huffs in the suit, turning away from Teddie and instead trying to busy himself with shelf-stacking. It’s not easy in the suit at all, considering the lack of fingers, and how stuffy it all is. He’s overheating, he’s sure.

While Yosuke goes back to work, Teddie wanders around nearby, trying his best to emulate Yosuke’s shelf-stacking technique, though he’s not good at it. After a few minutes, he’s almost  _ bored, _ wondering when something exciting may happen. He’s silent about his complaints, however, and instead just stands around doing nothing, waiting for something to come to him.

A hand on his shoulder comes as a surprise.

“Huh? Who’s there? This bear will defend himself!” He turns suddenly, and instead of being faced with a dangerous attacker, there stands Yu. “Sensei? Why are you here?”

“I’m looking for Yosuke. I need to talk to him.” Yu looks around, spotting Teddie’s suit far away from him, and he narrows his eyes, but focuses instead back on Teddie. “Have you seen him?”

“Mmmnnn… not around here!” Teddie sounds oddly cheery. “How about we go look for him?”

Yu halfheartedly agrees, his attention slipping back towards Teddie’s  _ assumedly _ empty suit, stood in the middle of an aisle. Wasn’t it stacking shelves a moment ago? Why’s it moving without Teddie  _ in it? _

“Teddie, is that your suit over there?” Yu points directly at it, and it seems to turn. “I’m going to ask why it’s moving, and you’re not going to give me an answer, are you?”

Teddie shakes his head, and suddenly, the suit bursts into a sprint, running directly at Yu. It seems to slip on the floors slightly, as if not used to wearing the suit at all. Considering the sound of panting coming from the suit, someone  _ else _ is inside it, not Teddie. When they slide to a halt in front of him, both hands placed on his shoulders, the ragged voice from inside tips him off as to who it is.

“ _ Partner… _ you… you gotta get this damn… suit… off me!” Yosuke is panting heavily, moving one hand and hitting it against the zipper. “I can’t-- stupid thing won’t let me--!”

Yu’s almost too taken aback not to oblige Yosuke’s request, pulling the zipper almost all the way open. When he sees Yosuke inside it, there’s a twist in his stomach. Yosuke is sweaty-- almost drenched, in fact-- breathing as heavily as if he had overexerted himself in the TV. One hand tries to coolly run through his hair, though not much comes of it as it flops back over his face, and Yosuke just winces. 

“Thanks, partner. That... stupid bear... wouldn’t let me out.” He’s genuinely relieved-- being able to breathe feels nice-- especially since the first thing he sees outside of the suit is Yu. “Dammit... what a blow to my street cred.”

“What ‘street cred’, Yosuke?” Teddie steps up from behind Yu. “You took the suit off! Shame!”

“Put your damn suit back on!” Yosuke slips out of the suit and practically pushes it into Teddie’s hands. “I’m sick of it!”

“At least you’re wearing clothes under there.” Yu jokes, and Yosuke cringes.

“Yeah, don’t remind me. He told the same joke earlier.” He groans, now. “Why’d you come here, partner? Something going on?”

“I wanted to talk to you, actually-- somewhere private.”

_ Private? _ Yosuke swallows, trying to force away those thoughts about Yu.  _ He won’t confess his love to you, dumbass. He doesn’t love you. He barely tolerates you. _ His Shadow shifts inside him, he thinks. That’s how he’s going to describe it. “Uh-- sure, partner. Where’d you have in mind…?”

“I was hopeful you’d know somewhere?” Yu offers, and he notices Teddie  _ trying _ to worm his way into the conversation. He has to nip that in the bud. “Teddie. You’re not coming with us.”

“Aww, come on, I wanna know what Sensei has to talk about! I bet it’s juicy gossip! Has one of the girls  _ finally _ admitted their feelings for me?”

“Ted, I want you to shut up  _ so bad,  _ you have no idea.” Yosuke’s frowning at him, and Teddie huffs.

“Hmph! You never care!” Teddie crosses his arms, before pulling himself into the suit. “Fine! I’ll go do my job.”

“Great, don’t bother us!” Yosuke calls after him as he leaves, before turning back to Yu. “Uh-- sorry. Feels bad when someone watches me be mean to him.”

“I think he deserves it sometimes.” Yu seems to shrug. “Anyway, somewhere private. Where can you think of?”

“Locker rooms? It’s about as private as we’re gonna get.” Yosuke’s already leading him towards them again. “Ugh. I’m sorry about how I look right now. That suit’s like a hot spring-- except it’s everywhere, and you can’t get out of it.”

Yu just laughs, a perfect two-note tone. “You don’t need to apologise. It looks like a death trap in there.”

“You’ve got no idea! I wouldn’t wish that on  _ anybody! _ ” There’s a pause. “‘Cept maybe the killer. I’d wish it on them a thousand times.”

Yu holds a hand out. “Hey, no need to get worked up. Let’s just hang out and chat.”

Something about the way he says it puts Yosuke on edge. ‘Hang out and chat’, like he has something to say, or to listen to. What is it that’d need his private opinion? Something about Rise?

_ Probably. _ His Shadow glowers.  _ He wants to rub it in how  _ **_he_ ** _ gets to date the idol, and you get left in the dust, waiting for a confession that’s never gonna come. _ When Yosuke looks at Yu’s face, his expression is unreadable.  _ I wanna beat you, partner. I wanna be the damn hero here-- and your stupid, pretty face is just pissing me off! _

When they enter the locker rooms, Yosuke pulls Yu aside to one of the lounging couches they have in the room, sitting beside him with an awkward smile.

“Sooo… what’d I do wrong?” Yosuke asks, as if he’s being put in detention. 

Yu doesn’t seem to laugh, however. Instead, he leans his head on one hand, sighing wistfully as he thinks of the words he needs to say.

“Partner? You look, uh… down? I guess?”

Seemingly ignoring Yosuke’s statements, Yu shuts his eyes tightly, and he huffs loudly as he turns to face him again.

“I want to know why you’re acting so strangely.”

“Acting str-- huh? I don’t get what you mean, man.” Despite what he says, Yosuke is obviously more on edge now-- nervous about something, though Yu couldn’t pinpoint what. Yosuke scratches the back of his neck, moving slightly away from Yu, and looking away from him. “I’m just acting like… me.”

Judging by the look Yu’s giving him, he’s not falling for that, and Yosuke slumps slightly. “Come on, partner, give me a break…”

_ The more you push me, the more I  _ **_hate_ ** _ how you  _ **_know_ ** _ me so well. _

“Yosuke. I know I told you that I would wait for you to be ready to talk to me, but…” Yu pulls one of his legs onto the couch, turning most of his body so he can face Yosuke properly. “Everyone’s worried about you, myself included. I want to know what’s wrong.”

_ Why would they care? I’m just a pain in the ass to them… and I’ve been humiliated enough times. I’m sick of them. _

“It’s just… stress.” A lie. One that Yu can see through. “You know how it is… we come out of Summer break straight into a kidnapping… the murderer isn’t the kid we thought it was… my whole family exists… things like that. I’m fine, really.”

_ Every time I say that, I never know if I believe it more or less than the time before. _

"Yosuke, you're  _ not _ fine. And… I'm sick of you pretending that you are." Yu's voice is stern, and Yosuke swallows loudly.

_ Why would I tell you how I feel when you're not gonna feel the same? You're gonna call me annoying, like everybody else does! _

"I  _ am _ fine, okay? This isn't, like… something that happens  _ often. _ " Though he's said that, he actually doesn't  _ know _ if it's a common occurrence. "Right?"

"Maybe not, but it's  _ worrying. _ Rise and Teddie said that they were worried about you, and I'm sure everyone else feels the same--"

At the mention of Rise, Yosuke grits his teeth, trying not to snap out his Shadow's thoughts.  _ Yeah, like  _ **_she_ ** _ cares. All she cares about is  _ **_you,_ ** _ partner. She wants you like I do, and you picked  _ **_her._ ** _ I don't give a shit if she says she's worried, she's  _ **_not!_ **

"--but I can't let you sit back and suffer alone. Yosuke, you're my best friend."

Yosuke says nothing. Somehow, Yu doesn't know where he went wrong-- isn't that what Yosuke wants to hear? That he's his friend? That he cares?

_ Maybe being so contrarian about things and just saying what I think people want to hear isn't… helping. _

"Partner…" Yosuke's voice is low, as if he's holding a lot back. "I  _ get _ that you don't want shit to go South with the team. You don't want us all to fall apart. That's fine! That's whatever to me! But…" He pauses.  _ You're kidding yourself when you think you're the hero. _ His Shadow snarls. "You… ugh."

Yu's taken aback by Yosuke. Something about this all feels so… odd.

"You can't make everyone happy! I know that! Maybe-- maybe you should learn that, too." Yosuke's voice comes out a lot sharper than he intends, and he internally curses himself, though doesn't outwardly show this. "Doing one thing means that you can't just do the other, too."

Yu goes quiet, turning away from Yosuke. He knows he's a people pleaser-- he wants everything to go well with everyone, even though it might cost him in the long run. He can't please everyone. That coming from Yosuke of all people makes his guts twist unpleasantly-- like he's been stripped to his essentials.

All that there is, is a guy who wants to please. Yu Narukami only exists to help people-- and Yosuke Hanamura, the man he has a crush on, who is so crushingly heterosexual, who hides everything behind a stupid, happy-go-lucky facade, is  _ telling _ him that.

Yu stands from the couch, barely able to give Yosuke a glance as he paces across the room. No, perhaps he hasn't gotten to the root of the problem-- what's causing Yosuke to act like this is only opening Yu up further-- but he can't stay around if Yosuke is going to make him question that part of himself.

There's silence from the both of them, for a few minutes. Yu doesn't know what's going on in his own head, wondering why Yosuke chose now to bring it up, or if it had come out in some rage. Yosuke doesn't  _ look _ angry, he just looks… dejected. Like something's gone super wrong.

Yosuke  _ hates _ himself for saying such things to Yu.  _ I'm right, though. He's so caught up in pleasing people… it's the weakness I have to exploit, so  _ **_I_ ** _ can get better. Stronger. So that I can beat him. _

After what must be five or so minutes of silence, Yu turns and faces Yosuke again.

"I understand. I'm… working on it." He pauses. "I'm sorry, Yosuke. For… treating you that way."

_ Are you  _ **_really_ ** _ sorry, or are you just saying that 'cause you think it'll make me feel better? _ Yosuke sighs gently, and he looks away from Yu, towards the door. "Shouldn't apologise to me. You… I care about you, dude. You know I do…"  _ But if you keep this up, I'll leave. _

"...I don't want all of this to fall apart. I really don't." Yosuke's picking his words as carefully as he can, avoiding listening to his Shadow as it growls on and on about beating Yu, proving itself to be how he really feels. "I just… I care about you! Y'know? I want you to be  _ you!  _ Not what everyone else wants you to be."

Yu seems to pause for a moment, watching Yosuke carefully.

"Like… you're amazing, dude. You're not perfect-- nobody is-- but you're genuinely just… amazing. You're smart, and resourceful, and in the TV, you're this amazing leader who knows what's best."

"Having a co-leader who knows when we're going too far helps." Yu says quietly.

"You need to be less of what others want. And I'm gonna say what you said to me, 'it's stupid, hearing it come from me', but… I want you to be  _ you. _ "

Yu goes quiet again. He knows he hasn't felt as if he's been true to himself for a while… since maybe Rise's dungeon. He feels as if he's forcing emotions for the rest of the group, acting as if he's not stressed under the pressure, as if he's cool, calm, collected, and that nothing will get to him.

"Aaaaanyway, I think I need to get back out on the floor…" Yosuke looks away for a moment, standing from the couch.

"I won't keep you." Yu steps towards him, however. "Uh-- before you go back out…"

Yosuke raises an eyebrow. If his vision wasn't slightly bad right now, he'd think maybe that Yu was blushing.  _ It's your imagination. He doesn't love you like you love him. _ "What's up, partner?'

Yu holds his arms out. "Hug? If you're comfortable with it, and all."

Barely a moment passes before Yosuke's in his arms, hugging around his chest tightly. "Only a short one--" He says against Yu's shoulder. "--else my dad'll get pissed."

Yu only nods. He's… both glad that Yosuke is opening up, slightly, but simultaneously… he's worried about what he's said.

_ You can't make everyone happy. _ Yosuke's voice echoes in his mind. No, maybe he can't. But… he can make himself happy, and he  _ should. _

"Alright, partner. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah? Just text the moment you want us in the TV." Yosuke detaches himself from Yu, grinning and waving to him. "We'll save Naoto, no problem!"

With that, Yosuke's gone out the door, leaving Yu with his thoughts. He needs to approach another officer about Naoto, and with Dojima still not home… he'll have to look around the shopping district tomorrow. For now, he should head home.


	8. September 17th - After School / Midnight Channel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The culmination of all Yosuke's negative thoughts has finally shown its face.

In various places across Inaba, members of the Investigation Team are receiving the same text message, frantic, as if written by someone in the middle of running. Someone determined to find out the truth, and to save the next victim.

**< only a spoonful> ** JUNES GOOD CORT I HAV E INFO

Yu is calling them to the food court. Naoto's going to be saved, and today is their first day of trying.

He just hopes that nothing goes wrong.

The first to arrive are Teddie and Yosuke, of course. They're on edge-- it's worrying, the apparent panic in Yu's quick texts-- and neither of them seem to be cracking any jokes, just waiting and waiting for the next person to turn up.

That just so happens to be Chie, alone.

"You guys are already here-- good-- d'you know what Yu found out?"

"No idea. Just got a text from him saying to meet in the food court." Yosuke shrugs. "Had to search the damn store to find Teddie, though."

"I was  _ working! _ " Teddie says, adamantly, and Yosuke rolls his eyes.

"Eating Topsicles in the bathroom doesn't count as working!"

" _ Sheesh _ , you two really do bicker like you're siblings." Chie seems to mumble, sitting herself down. "Aaaaaanyway, I think Yukiko's on her way, but the Inn's kinda far. Who d'you think's gonna turn up next?"

"I hope it's Rise-chan!" Teddie practically squeals, and Yosuke very  _ obviously _ looks away, a frown taking over his features.

"I dunno, I think Kanji's a little closer to here than Rise is. If they're both in their family stores, then they should be…?"

“Who cares? As long as we all get here, everything should be fine.” Yosuke’s glancing over his shoulder. “As long as dad doesn’t catch me out here, everything’s good.”

“Your dad’s  _ seriously _ still acting like that?”

“Hey, well-- I  _ did _ promise to work the entire week. It was to pay off one of my  _ many _ tabs that you guys have racked up.”

Chie looks a little sheepish. “Uh… sorry, dude.”

Yosuke just shrugs. “It’s whatever now. Just… stop putting all of it on me. I know I’ve got a job and all, but so do most of us.”  _ Maybe that’s all you see me as useful for. Paying for your purchases and not complaining much at all.  _ “Besides, it  _ really _ cuts down what I can afford for myself.”

Teddie doesn’t seem so bothered at Yosuke’s lack of money, however. “Aw come on, Yosuke! Your dad owns the store!”

“This one, yeah! Not  _ all _ of them! Plus he pays me  _ nothing! _ ”

“Come  _ on _ you two! Arguing before we go into the TV  _ isn’t  _ gonna help!” Chie reaches across the table and swats Teddie in the head. “We should…  _ should _ stay calm, but… aagh-- I’ve been itching to kick some Shadows in since we got Mitsuo arrested. I’ve  _ missed _ going into the TV.”

“I think I’ve missed it, too.” Yosuke says quietly. “But I dunno how much help I’ll be, since I can’t see that well.”

“You can’t miss as badly as Kanji sometimes. You don’t hurt as hard as his hits do.” Chie says, as if it’ll alleviate something.

“Pfft-- thanks.” Yosuke turns to Teddie. “What about you, Ted? Missed fighting Shadows?”

“Well… I  _ guess _ so! I don’t really fight them when you guys aren’t there, so yeah!”

As the three continue to talk, the next member of the Investigation Team arrives, panting raggedly and clutching his shield.

"Suh-- sorry, senpais--" Kanji leans against the table, still trying to catch his breath. "Was-- was in the middle've somethin'."

"Hey, it's alright man. Yu hasn't even arrived yet, you're all good."

"Huhh-- 'm glad I'm not late or somethin'..." After another few moments, he shoves his shield under his jacket, making sure it's hidden. "Man-- didn't expect us to be… rushin' in so fast. I was just gettin' into a project…"

"You're not excited to go in?" Yosuke raises his eyebrows.

"Huh? Duh I'm excited to go in! The hell d'you take me for? I can't wait to kick Shadow  _ ass _ to save Naoto!" Kanji sits, now, shifting his shoulders slightly. "So, uh-- where's everybody else?"

"On their way, probably. Yukiko was at the inn, so she's gotta come a long way to get here."

"Yeah, but wouldn't Yu have to go  _ back _ home to get his sword before coming out here?" Yosuke leans back in his chair, hands shoved into the pockets containing his blades.

"Hm… maybe." Chie shrugs, however. "D'you guys think Dojima-san wonders why he's got a sword?"

"Yosuke's parents asked about my gauntlets once!" Teddie says cheerily.

"Yeah, I had to say the damn things were for cosplay." Yosuke rolls his eyes. "It  _ worked, _ but I wish you hadn't shown them off!"

"I think they look  _ cool!  _ I wanted to show them off!" Teddie crosses his arms. "Why, were you afraid I'd look  _ cooler _ than you?"

"Like hell you'd look cooler than me-- you wear a  _ bear suit _ half the damn time. Nothing's cool about that."

"I'unno… it's kinda cute." Kanji mumbles.

"Cute,  _ not _ cool!"

"Are we arguing about Yosuke?" Rise's voice comes from the entrance into the food court, and she walks over. "Senpai's not here yet?"

"Nah, he's still comin'. Wonder what info he got outta those cops."

"Well, he told Yukiko and I that the first cop said Naoto was obsessed with the case." Chie places her hands on the table, tapping a finger. "Speaking of, where  _ is _ Yukiko?"

"Oh, I don't think she was far behind me. I could've sworn I saw her on my way up." Rise settles into a seat, glancing around at the rest of the team. "Are we all feeling good about this?"

"Good? How d'you mean,  _ good? _ "

"Well, you know… not rusty or anything?" Rise seems to look pointedly at Yosuke. "Able to focus?"

"Don't look at me like that! Just 'cause I've got a hurt foot and a black eye doesn't mean I can't fight!"  _ But my lack of Persona  _ **_does._ **

"I'm  _ kidding, _ Yosuke-senpai." Rise seems to giggle, and Yosuke just  _ scowls. _ Clearly he didn't find it very funny.

"Rrrgh… how long until Sensei gets here? I'm getting  _ bear-y  _ restless!"

"Hey, give him a  _ break! _ " Yosuke finds himself saying without thinking. "He'll-- he'll get here."  _ He wouldn’t just say that and leave us in the dark. That’s not  _ **_him._ **

“I’m sure he’s close by. I mean, he texted us what, ten minutes ago? We all kinda rushed to get here.” Chie sits back. “We’ll run through everything with him, then I guess go straight into the TV?”

“Yeah! Senpai needs to tell me those facts he’s learned about Naoto… locating him might be hard, but I’ll do my best.” Rise stretches, and as she does so, she yawns. “So, who d’you guys think are gonna be on Senpai’s team?”

“Yosuke-senpai, for sure.” Kanji says, as if it’s obvious. “Dude always gets picked.”

“Really? I thought you’d be on it, Moronji.” Rise shrugs. “But hey, who knows what Senpai thinks?”

“Yukiko will be.” Chie says with certainty. “She’s the best mage we have.”

“Yeah, I agree with Chie. Yukiko’s gonna be on the team-- you too, probably.” Yosuke puts his hands behind his head. “I dunno about him picking me, though... he wants me to take it easy.”

“Really?” Kanji raises an eyebrow. “I mean… Senpai  _ does _ know when we go too far… huh. Maybe I  _ will _ get picked!”

“I mean, we’re going to save _ Naoto. _ He likes you, right?” Yosuke catches Kanji’s eye, and Kanji frowns.

“Hey, the hell d’you mean by that?” He stands, now.

“I dunno. You two hang out, don’t you?”

“Yosuke--” Chie starts, but she’s cut off.

“Yeah, I hang out with him! What’s it to you?!” Something about the look in Kanji’s eyes is begging Yosuke to not say anything more. 

_ Wait. He likes  _ **_Naoto?_ ** _ Is that the guy he’s trying to make a gift for?! _

“Jeez-- forget I said anything.” Yosuke puts his hands up, and he hopes that he’s the only one who sees the relief in Kanji’s eyes at the conversation being dropped. Instead, the five of them fall back into silence, waiting for Yu and Yukiko’s arrival.

Even Teddie seems a little uncomfortable at the way conversation just ceased like that. He’s shifting about between his feet, pacing around the table and humming to himself, as if he’s restless. The rest of them have to agree with him, though. It’s hard not to be restless when they’re about to head back into the TV after they’d  _ thought _ they’d caught the killer. With how much pressure is building around them to save everyone, it’s no wonder they’ve all arrived early.

“I just can’t really… imagine how it must be for everyone else.” Yu’s voice, though far away, makes Yosuke’s attention snap over to the entrance to the food court, and he catches a glimpse of him, walking beside Yukiko.

“It’s… difficult for me, too. I know that I was the first one to get kidnapped out of all of us, but… I feel like admitting what I had pushed away was a lot…  _ less _ than everyone else. Poor Teddie practically had a nervous breakdown.” Yukiko’s speaking now, and Chie looks up.

Chie and Yosuke share a little glance, as if asking the same question to the other. That’s something they’ll have to talk about. Maybe.

“You’re all here-- that’s good.” Yu seems a little breathless, as if he’d run  _ most _ of the way here. His sword is rather haphazardly hidden partway down his pantleg and under his shirt.

Sometimes Yosuke wonders how he manages to hide it so well.

“What’ve you found out, Senpai?” Rise coaxes him to sit, leaning her elbows on the table, and placing her head on her hands. “I’m sure a lot could help me find out where Naoto is, but… well! I’m sure you know the exact things I’ll need to know. You always do!”

Yu just nods. “He’s obsessed with the case.” He begins, looking down. “Maybe like us. Maybe not. I found that out yesterday-- but today, I found out something better.”

“Oh? What was it, Senpai?”

“This officer in the shopping district told me that other members of the force treat him like a child. I… I kinda remember Dojima telling me something like that when we came back from Port Island, too. Maybe if I’d remembered that earlier, we could’ve tried going for him yesterday--”

“Hey, partner. Focus. We’re here now, let’s not push ourselves. You told me that.”

“Right-- right. I’ve… right. Yeah. So… that’s what I know. That they treat him like a child.” Yu nods, as if affirming it to himself. “I think that’s all I have. I hope it’ll work for you, Rise.”

“I’m sure it will, Senpai! Let’s head in-- no time to waste!”

When Rise stands, everyone seems to follow pretty quickly-- except Yosuke. He stays sat in the food court for a few moments longer than everyone else, as if internally wrestling with part of himself, before he finally stands, hanging further back from the group than normal.

It’s Chie that notices this. She glances behind her to check where he is-- normally he’s walking up ahead of her, next to Yu-- but seeing him so far behind prompts her to slow down, so he can catch up to her.

"Oh, Yosuke. You look worried-- whats up?" She knows he's not the type to admit  _ anything  _ to  _ anyone _ , but if anybody's gotta try get it out of him, it has to be her.

"I..." He starts, before speaking through grit teeth. "I need to hold your arm to get into the TV again."

"You need to  _ what? _ " She's taken aback-- he has his Persona, he can enter the TV without having to hold someone's arm like a  _ kid. _

"Don't-- don't tell anyone. Please." The helplessness to his voice makes her even more confused. Something's up, something that he's not saying. "Chie.  _ Please _ . Promise."

"Okay, fine, you can hold my arm. I wanna know what's up, though." One of her hands lands on her hip, while the other remains within Yosuke's reach.

"I...  _ kiiiind _ of lost control of... Jiraiya... and..." Yosuke looks down, one hand scratching the back of his neck sheepishly-- he's embarrassed. "My... Shadow came back."

"It can  **_do that?!_ ** " Chie almost yells, and the rest of the Investigation Team turns back to them. "Sorry! Nothing to worry about!"

"We're just talking about-- a game we both play!" Yosuke forces up a surprisingly convincing grin, but he nudges Chie harshly in the side, lowering his voice again. "Don't let everyone else  _ know! _ "

"Geez, sorry, sorry. How are you planning to... y'know, get Jiraiya back?"

Yosuke's silent as he looks away from Chie. His focus looks as if it's on the back of Yu's head, those few gears in his head turning desperately to figure something out. After a few minutes of silence, he sighs sharply. "I don't have a plan. I don't know what's gonna happen when we go into the TV. If we're lucky, my Shadow will just... be there, and I can accept it, move on, whatever! If not..."

He falls silent. He knows he doesn't have to finish the sentence for Chie to know what he means. Nonetheless, she offers him a worried look.

“If… if you plan to hang back from battle, I can cover for you-- d’you want someone there with you?”

Yosuke scratches the back of his neck. “Isn’t that gonna be like…  _ weird? _ You watching over me, or something…?”

“Hey! I’m  _ offering _ to stick with you. If that…” She lowers her voice. “ _ \--thing _ comes back, you’ll want someone who can use their Persona to be with you,  _ right? _ ”

He nods sharply. “Y-yeah. You and Tomoe could… help.” He doesn’t really know what else to say. “Thanks… Chie. I gotta pay you back for this.”

“ _ Two _ beef skewers. I won’t ask any more than that-- it’d be  _ mean. _ ”

“Showing restraint, huh?” Yosuke stifles a little chuckle, though it doesn’t seem to alleviate his obvious tension. “A-again… thanks.”

“Hey, no problem. I know what it’s like to have to really… wrestle with your Shadow. I had to for a while after Yukiko’s dungeon. It’s… why I noticed when you two were talking about princes.”

“Still caught up in that whole thing, about Yukiko saying you’re her prince?”

“...a little.” Chie doesn’t seem to want to elaborate any more, and Yosuke just shrugs.

He takes a final glance around the electrical section of Junes, hand gripping tightly to Chie’s sleeve, and he watches as everyone steps in infront of them. With a final glance back, Chie offers him a barely calming smile, reaching herself into the TV-- and Yosuke is quick to follow.

Something about the brightness of the TV as they go in makes him flinch. He doesn’t know if it’s to do with how long it’s been since they’ve been in there, or because of his lack of Persona, but when they arrive inside, Yosuke already has one arm covering his face, his other hand fumbling in his pockets in search of his glasses. The rest of the team seem completely adjusted, all shifting around and waiting for Rise and Himiko’s directions as to where they’re meant to go. Something about being in here without a Persona makes Yosuke’s stomach twist weirdly, and  _ right _ as Yu glances at him, he retches, one hand covering his mouth.

“Yosuke? You doing alright?” Yu steps towards him, but Yosuke puts his hand out, nodding his head quickly. As if looking for an answer, he instead turns to Chie.

She has to think up a lie, and  _ fast. _

“He was telling me before we got in that he was feeling a little off. Might be worth letting him stay, uh-- out of direct battle for today?” Chie seems to try and figure out exactly what she needs to say. “I dunno if Yukiko could help at all--”

“Amrita wouldn’t do anything, I don’t think…” She looks almost… disappointed in herself. “I’m sorry I can’t help, Yosuke.”

“Hey, it’s-- it’s fine. I’ll just hang back.” He moves his hand, and grins insincerely. “Yosuke cavalry support!”

Yu seems a little dejected at that. “Ah. Well… alright. If that’s going to help you get better, then that’s what’s going on. Uh… okay, who’s next on who I wanted on the team…” He turns away, instead to Yukiko. “Yukiko, I’d like you close by today. And without Yosuke, I’ll take Teddie instead--”

“This bear’s gonna show you what he’s made of, Sensei! I promise!”

Yu raises a questioning eyebrow to Chie, and she shakes her head.

“Nah, I think I’ll stick back with Yosuke. Make sure he doesn’t do something stupid.”

“Alright. Kanji, you’re up. Hope you’re ready to save Naoto.”

“Sure am, Senpai! Let’s show his Shadow who runs shit around here!”

“That’s the spirit, Kanji!” Teddie whoops, pumping his fist in the air. “Let’s go, Sensei!”

As if on cue, Himiko disappears, and Rise turns back to the group, a worried look on her face. “He seems to be really far away… I don’t know how long it’ll take us to get there.” And for a moment, she seems to glance at Yosuke. “Hey, uh… Yosuke-senpai…”

“Huh?”

“With your foot and all, do you think you’ll be able to handle a distance like that? And not hurt yourself too bad?”

Yosuke seems to scrunch up his face as he thinks, narrowing his eyes. While his foot  _ has _ been feeling a little better, he doesn’t wanna jinx it--  _ or  _ have to lean on Chie. That’d be  _ embarrassing. _

“Uh-- I don’t really know? I think it’d be better  _ not _ to risk it…” He sounds sheepish-- as if he might actually  _ want _ to stay behind. “Chie and I could hang around here, and you can call on us if you need help.”

“Is that safe?” Yukiko asks. “I know you both have your Personas, but if something attacks you--?”

“We’ll be okay, Yukiko! I promise!” Chie tries to smile, to alleviate the worry rising from the rest of the team. “After all, who’s gonna be able to stop Tomoe when  _ I’m _ coming at them?”

“Yeah! And Yosuke-senpai’s Jiraiya is quick as hell! I think they’ll be fine.” Kanji sticks his thumb up. “You guys  _ better _ be fine.”

“Hey, you know me.” Yosuke smiles, insincerely. “We’ll be alright. You guys go ahead-- but you better tell us when you’re gonna fight Shadow Naoto. I want in on that.”

“Yeah, me too!” Chie chimes in. “You’re not gonna save him  _ without _ us, right?”

“Of course not! We’ve just gotta fight our way  _ there _ first.” Yu seems to laugh, and he lets a hand rest on Yosuke’s shoulder for a moment. “It’ll be weird fighting without you.”

“Hey, it’s not like I won’t be here when you get back, partner. When my foot stops hurting, I’ll be right beside you again!”

“Alright everyone, this way! Chie-senpai, Yosuke-senpai, I hope you two have an alright time here! Let’s go!” Rise starts leading the team along, and Yu glances back at Yosuke as he walks away.

“I look forward to it, partner!” Yu waves to Yosuke, and Chie notices the  _ obvious _ swoon from Yosuke.

The moment Yu’s gone into the fog, however, a frown drops over his expression, the whole mood around him darkening. Chie says nothing, instead just standing beside him and watching as Yosuke sits himself on the floor, looking down into his own lap. After a few moments of silence, he speaks again.

“Can’t believe he… chose… Rise.” He mumbles, as if trying to argue with himself. “He chose  _ Rise. _ Not me.”

“Hey, I mean, that  _ was  _ just a rumour,  _ right? _ ” Chie puts a hand on his shoulder, and he doesn’t shrug it off. “Like… he hasn’t  _ told _ anyone he’s dating Rise.”

“You’ve  _ seen _ how they act together! They love each other-- it’s  _ obvious! _ ” One of Yosuke’s hands tightens into a fist, and he starts shaking slightly. “I-- I can’t--”

Before Chie can say anything, Yosuke starts sobbing. His entire body is shaking with each sob, and he looks down-- so Chie can’t see how  _ pitiful _ he looks. “Th-- the hell am I meant to do now…?! He’s never gonna love me back! I’m never gonna be a-able to tell him, and-- and-- I’ll  _ never _ get Jiraiya back!”

“Hey-- that’s not true--!” Chie tries, but Yosuke cuts her off.

“I can’t  _ admit _ to him that I love him. I could barely admit it to  _ myself! _ I know my dad’s gonna call me a stupid fff--” He bites his lip to stop himself from saying anything. “And so what if Kanji accepted my apology? He admitted he wanted to kick my ass. You’ve wanted to kick my ass for what I’ve said.  **_I_ ** wanna kick my ass for what I’ve said.”

There’s silence for a few moments, as Chie tries to figure out what she’s meant to say in response to all this.

“C-come on, Yosuke, it’s not-- it’s not gonna be like  _ that _ .” She sounds unsure of herself, however.

“Yeah it  _ is! _ ”

“ _ Yeah, like he’s gonna want to keep me around after all the trouble I cause him? _ ” Another voice catches Chie off-guard, and she starts looking around, trying to find the source of it. “ _ He hates me-- acting all worried about me, all of you-- I know you wanna get rid of me. _ ”

“Get  _ rid _ of you?! Yosuke--”

“ _ You said it yourself! I say shit that pisses people off, don’t know when to let shit go, wouldn’t it be  _ **_better_ ** _ if I wasn’t around anymore? _ ”

_ It must be Yosuke’s Shadow. _ Chie thinks to herself, and she steels her will.  _ And if I have to take it on alone, then I’ll do it. _

“Tomoe!” Chie shatters her Persona card with a swift kick, Tomoe standing guard behind her. “Yosuke. You don’t have to fight this alone.”

“I-- I shouldn’t’ve gotten you tied up in this, Chie-- it’s… selfish of me…” Yosuke mumbles, covering his face. “Just-- get to the rest of the team--”

“And leave you to  _ die?! _ Are you  _ insane?! _ ” Chie grabs Yosuke by his collar, pulling him to his feet and to behind her. “Alright, Shadow Yosuke--  _ show yourself! _ I wanna see how well you can handle me and  _ Tomoe! _ ”

Yosuke stumbles as Chie pulls him around, falling forwards and onto his hands and knees. He’s not used to being thrown around like that, especially by a _friend._ _Is Chie still my friend? Is that why she’s staying here?_

“Yosuke. I want you to run.” Chie doesn’t turn back to him. “You saw which direction they went in, right? Just start  _ running. _ I’ll handle your Shadow for now.”

“ _ It doesn’t work like that, Chie. _ ” Yosuke’s Shadow finally steps out, arms crossed, and a smug look on his face. “ _ Wherever he goes, I’ll go  _ **_too._ ** _ He’ll just be leading me  _ **_right_ ** _ to where I wanna be. _ ”

“Fine then! You’re gonna see just what Tomoe and I can do!” As if to emphasise Chie’s resolve, Tomoe spins her glaive, powering Chie up with a Power Charge.

" _ If that's how you want to do things. _ " Shadow Yosuke seems unfazed. " _ And when you  _ **_lose,_ ** _ then what? You've got nobody to back you up… and  _ **_he's_ ** _ just gonna run away. _ " It looks pointedly at Yosuke, who's still trying to pull himself up off the floor. " _ Pathetic little coward wouldn't do this for  _ **_you._ ** "

"Yeah, actually, he  **would!** He already has!" Chie glances back at Yosuke for a moment. "He helped beat my Shadow self, in Yukiko's castle. He  _ would _ do this for me-- I know he would."

There's a scoff from Shadow Yosuke. " _ And what about our talk at the river? Nobody'll ever know it was us helping them. All I care about is glory-- being the hero! _ " It steps forwards. " _ I wanna prove I'm  _ **_way_ ** _ stronger than my stupid  _ **_partner._ ** _ I'll show him I'm stronger than him, better than him-- and I'll  _ **_beat him._ ** " Despite readying itself for battle, Shadow Yosuke doesn't seem to change into an actual Shadow form. " _ I don't care if he doesn't love me back. I don't  _ **_care_ ** _ if the rest of the team hates me! The moment I'm the strongest, I'm leaving  _ **_all_ ** _ of you behind! _ "

Chie's taken aback by what it's saying.

" _ And if I have to kill you to get to my partner?  _ **_I'll do it_ ** _. You can't stop me. _ "


	9. September 17th - The Midnight Channel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming to terms with your true self is a difficult thing to do, especially when you've been conditioned to keep those parts of yourself hidden from everyone you know. It takes courage to face yourself-- and maybe a little more recklessness to try and fight it without a Persona.

There's obvious tension amongst the team at the Secret Laboratory, though nobody seems to be saying anything. Rise is stood beside the fox, which seems to sense  _ something _ wrong, however it's not expressing  _ what _ . For the battling team, clearing floors seems difficult. The environment is nothing like they've ever encountered, the harsh metal sounds paired with the dangerous enemies causing them immense problems.

As for Yu, he seems completely out of his element. Without Yosuke by his side, Yu almost feels... empty. In battles, he finds himself trying (and occasionally failing) to bite back a question to the absent Yosuke ("Hey partner, can you Sukukaja Kanji?" "Yosuke, what do you think about all this?") and it's clear to the rest of the team that Yu is confused, and uncomfortable without him.

Rise finds herself having to remind him to  _ avoid _ attacks far too often. He's not thinking straight, letting attacks hit him and barely even realizing until he's being thrown across the floor with a brand new gash in his arm. Though Yukiko is quick to catch him with a Diarama, the sting doesn't go away, and he just seems to pick up more and more wounds-- faster than she can heal him for.

"Senpai-- focus, please!" Rise's voice hits him by surprise, and he turns his head just in time to watch a Nyogo whip his torso with a branch. As he goes sprawling across the metal floor, he comes to a halt in front of Kanji, who steps over him to block him with his body.

"Careful, Senpai! I got you covered!" He shatters his card with his shield, Take-Mikazuchi bursting into view and charging at the Nyogo, while Kanji turns and offers Yu his hand. "You feelin' alright?"

Yu nods quickly. "Yeah-- just trying to... think about getting Naoto out of here."

"Yeah, me too. We got your back, so don't worry." Kanji grins, though he's obviously worried about him.

"Yeah, no problem. Thanks, Kanji."

"Let's keep heading deeper! I can smell something up ahead!" Teddie shouts, from much further away than they anticipate. Somehow, they've split far from the group. "This bear's fired up to find Naoto!"

As the two jog back over to Yukiko and Teddie, Kanji wonders what could be on Yu's mind. He's never been  _ this _ clumsy before.

Yu groans a little as he puts a hand onto his stomach-- that hit from the Nyogo  _ hurt _ , and he almost feels a little dizzy from the pain it's caused. Despite this, he pushes onwards, not saying anything to the rest of the team. Normally, they'd be talking about weaknesses, team strategies, anything-- and the silence just solidifies in both Kanji and Yukiko's mind that  _ something _ is  _ dangerously wrong. _

"Yu, you…  _ did _ talk to Yosuke last night, right?" Yukiko asks, and Yu doesn't seem to notice. Instead, he's focusing ahead, trying to lead the team through the next floor.

"Somethin's botherin' Senpai." Kanji turns to Yukiko. "He ain't actin' right."

"Right. I think it's to do with Yosuke. You've heard him try say his name in battles."

"Yeah. I-- I want Naoto safe as much as all of us, but… if Senpai ain't feelin' hot, then we should get outta here before he  _ seriously _ gets hurt."

"I think we're beyond that, now. I don't know how much more I can do…"

"We just gotta keep goin', for Senpai's sake."

The two turn once again to look at Yu as he walks. He seems less cautious than before-- he's not checking around for Shadows, he's just striding through the lab as if he doesn't care what attacks him. While Teddie may be by his side, he seems less than useful at looking out for enemies.

" _ Senpai,  _ **_look out!_ ** " Rise's voice comes as a surprise to Yu, and he can't even figure out  _ what _ she's warning him about until it's too late.

A Gigas charges out of nowhere, punching him hard enough to slam him into a wall. When he hits the ground, he can barely think for long enough to pull himself off of the floor. He can taste blood in his mouth, and an arm is placed over his chest again to try and protect himself-- however he doesn't know how useful it's going to be.

" _ Senpai, can you hear me? _ " Through the fog in his brain, Yu can just about hear Rise. He can't focus on the Gigas-- something about the way it's moving, each of its flexes just fogging up his brain more.

He doesn't reply to Rise.

"Hey, Senpai! You gotta focus!" Kanji pushes his way past the Gigas, hitting it with a clean shot to the stomach as he does so. "Snap outta it!"

Yu swallows. He can still taste blood. Maybe he's lost a tooth, or something. To stabilize himself, he places a hand on Kanji's shoulder, looking straight at the Gigas, now.

"Cu Chulainn--" Yu manages to say, crushing the card of his Persona and watching as the Celtic hero flickers into view, blowing the Gigas back with a Garudyne.

"Senpai, watch yourself-- come on, we can't keep goin' if you wear yourself out." Kanji glances back to him, and he just nods. With that response, Kanji turns to Yukiko and Teddie. "Hey, one of you, heal Senpai! He needs it!"

Without a word, both Konohana Sakuya and Kintoki-Douji come into view, both trying to heal Yu's countless wounds.

He still doesn't feel very good. He's going to  _ ache _ tomorrow, and he knows it.

"Thanks--" Yu mumbles, finally letting go of Kanji's shoulder. "Let's keep going--"

"You  _ sure, _ Senpai? You're lookin' beat right now." Kanji worries, and Yu nods.

"I'm fine-- just need to focus. Let's go."

They begin to head deeper, Yu still caught in his own thoughts about all of this.  _ I'm doing this for us. I'm doing this to save Naoto, so we can catch the killer, and protect Inaba. Protect everyone that matters to me. Protect… Yosuke. If he can't fight, I'll fight twice as hard for him. I have to focus. I have to focus. I have to… _

This time, when a Shadow appears from nowhere, Yu is quick enough to dodge its attack-- and he's glad he does. The Panzer doesn't stop spinning, as if preparing to attack the whole team at once.

"It's resistant to Physical attacks!" Rise calls. "Maybe try something magic related-- how about you, Kanji?"

"Hell yeah!" Kanji shatters his card, and Take-Mikazuchi blasts the Panzer with a Ziodyne.

"Great shot, Kanji!" Teddie calls out, before turning to Yu. "Are we gonna show 'em what we're made of?"

Yu nods. "Together!"

As they descend upon the Panzer, raining blow after blow onto the contraption, Yu can't help but wonder how Yosuke and Chie are doing. As main members of the team, they must be  _ itching _ to fight something-- right?

"This thing's tough--" Yukiko glances at the rest of the team as Konohana Sakuya hits the Panzer with a bright burst of flame. "Kanji, keep trying to knock it down!"

"Sure thing, Yukiko-senpai, jus' give Take-Mikazuchi a bitta time--" He knows his Persona needs time to charge another Ziodyne. 

The team seems to be working well, despite the lack of Yosuke and Chie. He'd still never consider dropping them from the main team-- they're both extremely powerful, and useful-- but Yu's glad to see the whole team able to adjust.

He's ripped out of his thoughts, however, by Rise's voice.

"Senpai, I'm talking to you directly since this is important--" Rise sounds on edge. "I've been scanning, and there's something that's coming up stronger than Shadow Naoto, somewhere in the Midnight Channel."

"Stronger than Shadow Naoto?" Yu repeats.

"Yeah-- and, I don't want you to panic, but…"

Rise pauses. "I think it's near the entrance. Where Yosuke and Chie are."

Yu jolts, and Kanji turns to him. "You good, Senpai?"

He shakes his head rapidly, practically running over to Teddie.

"Use Traesto,  **_now_ ** ."

"Huh? B-but Sensei, what about--?"

" _ Now, Teddie. Something more important is going on. _ " He reaches out, grabbing onto Kanji and Yukiko's sleeves and pulling them over. "We have to get back to the entrance."

"Is somethin' happenin'?"

"Something's there. I don't want Chie and Yosuke to have to fight it alone."  _ I made a promise to Yosuke we'd never leave each other alone in here. I'm not gonna go back on that now.  _

"Let's go, as fast as we can." Yukiko agrees. 

As the four warp back to the entrance to the lab, Yu breaks out into a sprint back towards the hub.

_ We have to get there in time. We have to get there in time. I won't let them be the next victims of this damn Midnight Channel--! _

* * *

" _ Tired yet? _ " Shadow Yosuke sneers as Chie readies another attack. " _ You might not be weak to me, but I'm not weak to  _ **_you_ ** _ , either. _ "

"Shut it! I'll take you down!" Chie's stance is getting less and less sharp-- she's obviously tiring out, and she doesn't know what's going to happen if she does.  _ I can't lose. I can't fail. Everyone's relying on me. _

" _ Isn't it just  _ **_pitiful?_ ** _ All that strength, and you're being beaten by a dumb  _ **_coward_ ** _ , who's not even putting his all in. _ " It laughs, loudly, and it grates on Chie's ears. " _ Aren't you gonna give up? If you let me take his place, I can be the  _ **_better_ ** _ version of hi-- _ "

"You're nowhere near better than him!" Chie cuts it off, and it looks disgruntled. "Yosuke's  _ always _ been better than you!"

" _ I  _ **_am_ ** _ him! _ "

"Oh  _ yeah?! _ Then why aren't you as cool as him?!"

"Y-you think I'm… cool?" Yosuke looks up, his expression tender. It feels… nice to be called cool.

"Yeah you're cool, dude! You hang out with everyone no matter what, and you're always getting us food-- even though maybe we  _ do _ force you to do that-- but you stick around with us through that!"

"B-because I'm afraid of… of being alone. I don't want you guys to leave me behind, like everyone else has." Yosuke looks down again. Maybe he felt relieved too soon. "I…"

" _ And if you guys end up being weaker than me, I'll leave  _ **_you_ ** _ behind, like you've always wanted to do to me. _ " Shadow Yosuke lunges out and jabs Chie's stomach, making her flinch. " _ Let's see how  _ **_you_ ** _ feel, being chosen as the weakest, and the  _ **_worst_ ** _ team member! _ "

With a hand covering her stomach, Chie turns back to Yosuke. "Dude-- you've gotta let this thing become itself, else we're gonna have a  _ really _ big problem."  _ As if we don't already have one… _

"I don't want-- want you to get hurt. W-we can hold off--"

" _ Maybe that  _ **_stupid_ ** _ navigator will have noticed me by now? Or is she too busy doing everything I ever wanted to with  _ **_my partner?_ ** " After a pause, Shadow Yosuke  _ laughs.  _ " _ Ha! Like I care! I knew he'd forget me the moment he got a girlfriend! Then again… _ " It glares at Yosuke. " _ I could be a girl, if he wanted. Just like my family wants. A pretty girl, who's the heiress of Junes, and who  _ **_everybody_ ** _ loves, instead of  _ **_stupid_ ** _ , disgusting, piece of crap  _ **_Yosuke,_ ** _ who gets pushed around by  _ **_everyone_ ** _. _ " 

"You--!" Chie's surprised for half a moment, before she charges forward, trying to kick Shadow Yosuke in the head. "Rrrgh-- you're  _ really _ hitting tender spots, aren't you? How about  _ I _ hit  **_you_ ** somewhere tender, you Yosuke lookalike--!"

As if already prepared to avoid Chie's attack, Shadow Yosuke ducks under her attack, instead blowing her backwards with a Garudyne. As she rolls out the hit, climbing back to her feet, it laughs again.

" _ I told you already, I'm the  _ **_better_ ** _ Yosuke. The stronger Yosuke. And once my partner sees that… I'll get rid of my weak self. _ "

It steps towards Yosuke, and despite his lack of Persona, he readies his kunai, trying to maintain a fighting stance. With Chie pushed so far away, it'll be able to attack him with ease-- so he has to try defend himself,  _ and _ her.

"C-come on, then--  _ me-- _ " He waves his kunai ineffectually. "Try land a hit--!"

" _ Gladly. _ "

Shadow Yosuke seems to duck under the first of Yosuke's slashes, taking a large cut across its face from the other, before it wrestles one of the kunai out of Yosuke's hands, slashing right across his chest with it. Yosuke flinches, almost dropping his other kunai, and his arm tries to cover his chest-- but his Shadow manages to push its hand against his wound, attempting to agitate it further as it pushes him backwards.

" _ Score one for the  _ **_real_ ** _ me. _ "

Yosuke's stumbling from the hit, his vision blurry and entire brain fogging up from the pain. He takes a step back, almost over balances, tries to step forward to counter it, before taking another step backwards. Through all of his pain and confusion, a voice rips through everything, clear as day.

" **_Yosuke!_ ** "

There's an arm around his waist, holding him steady as he tries to regain his balance. Stood partway beside him, his chest against Yosuke's shoulder, is Yu. His sword is unsheathed, held facing Yosuke's Shadow, a look on his face of cool, calculated rage.

"Leave my partner alone."

“ _ Perfect. You’re  _ **_just_ ** _ who I wanted to see,  _ **_partner._ ** ” Shadow Yosuke throws the kunai in his hand behind him. “ _ Who needs weapons, when I’m already stronger than you? _ ”

“S-sorry, partner…” Yosuke mumbles, forcing out a pained laugh. “I should’ve… should’ve told you before it got… this bad.”

“It’s okay, Yosuke. You’re still alive-- and that means there’s still a chance to win.” With a slash of his sword, Yu shatters a Persona card. “Lilith!”

“ _ You wanna fight like last time, partner? The new and improved version of me? _ ” Shadow Yosuke laughs. “ _ I’m better than  _ **_him_ ** _ now! You won’t beat me, partner. You  _ **_couldn’t._ ** ”

“If Yu can’t, then  _ we _ will!” Chie’s stood beside Yu, now, Tomoe still ready to fight, no matter what. “There’s no way you’re beating all of us!”

“Yeah!” Yukiko summons Konohana-Sakuya, preparing herself to fight. “You’re not going to win.”

“I’m not gonna let some Shadow wearin’ Yosuke-senpai’s face beat us up! Bring it on!” Kanji and Take-Mikazuchi are stood on the other side of Yosuke, clearly as ready as ever for a fight.

Soon enough, Teddie joins them too. “You made a  _ big _ mistake in tangling with  _ this _ bear and his Sensei!”

Yosuke’s arm is covering his chest, blood seeping through his shirt and jacket.  _ Everyone’s… defending me? Why? _

“You’re not gonna take Yosuke’s place-- you’d  _ never _ be as good as him!” Chie calls out, and Tomoe matches it with a call of her own.

Instead of focusing on Chie, Shadow Yosuke turns its attention back to Yosuke. 

" _ You know I could take your place. The new and  _ **_improved_ ** _ Yosuke Hanamura! Now this one doesn't  _ **_cry_ ** _ when he's alone,  _ **_or_ ** _ hide the fact that he thinks everyone's a pain in the ass at best! _ ” It sneers at him. “ _ That’s not even  _ **_mentioning_ ** _ how I never tell people how I feel! Keeping up this stupid facade  _ **_sucks!_ ** _ Caring about others? Fuck that! Why should I care about them when they don't care about  _ **_me?!_ ** "

"We do care about you, Yosuke-senpai! That's why we've all been worried about you!" While Rise may be behind everyone else, she seems just as ready as them to fight.

" _ Yeah  _ **_right._ ** _ You were just worried 'cause you felt like you  _ **_needed_ ** _ to be! Oh boohoo, Yosuke's having a bad day, let's act like we care so he'll  _ **_shut up about it!_ ** " Shadow Yosuke growls, lowering it’s voice. “ _ And  _ **_you,_ ** _ partner-- you’re the  _ **_worst_ ** _ of all. You act like you care, and then you go ahead and  _ **_ignore_ ** _ how I feel! _ ”

Yu says nothing, instead just offering an apologetic glance to Yosuke, which he seems to match.

"You're puttin' words in our mouth! I dont think that!" Kanji yells now, stomping a foot.

" _ Oh  _ **_yeah?_ ** _ You  _ **_don't_ ** _ think I'm a pain in the ass? Not even after I said we weren't safe sharing a tent with you? Not after I made fun of you for being gay? _ ” Shadow Yosuke seems to be shaking, as if trying to maintain its form just a little longer. “ _ Face it, I'm not gonna change! I'm the  _ **_real_ ** _ me! _ "

There's silence as everyone looks at Yosuke. He knows how to set it off, how to make it a real fight, and he's debating whether he should. With no help being offered, Yosuke looks away from Yu, locking eyes with his Shadow.

"No...  _ I'm _ the real me. And you... just... look like me."

“ _ Hahahahahahahaha! _ ” Shadow Yosuke’s laugh is louder than ever, its whole body deforming as it properly becomes its Shadow self. " _ Fallen for it again! Damn, I really  _ **_am_ ** _ stupid! Or should I say,  _ **_you_ ** _ really are stupid. _ "

Something looks  _ different _ about his Shadow-- it doesn’t look  _ anything _ like Jiraiya. The uncomfortable twitches of the jumpsuit-clad Shadow make it seem as if it’s only recently obtained this form, and it’s still adjusting to it.

“ _ Come on then,  _ **_partner._ ** _ I’ll show you who the  _ **_real_ ** _ hero should be! _ ”

As soon as Shadow Yosuke looks as if he’s preparing an attack, Yu pushes Yosuke behind him, standing in between the two with his sword up in a guard. The wind of a Garudyne whips past him, and he turns to Yukiko.

“Now!”

Shadow Yosuke turns to Yukiko, expecting an attack from her-- but instead is hit with two attacks, one from Chie, and one from Kanji. Both hits make it stumble, however it seems to shake off the damage, turning its attention to Kanji, now. 

“ _ You wanna see what I can do? Take  _ **_this!_ ** ” It casts another Garudyne, aimed directly at Kanji-- and he can’t get out of the way fast enough. As he gets blown back by it-- almost far enough that he collides with Rise-- Shadow Yosuke turns, and instead attempts a Power Slash against Yukiko.

Instead, Chie allows herself to take the hit, flinching as the strike cuts across her chest. Almost immediately, Yukiko casts a Mediarama, and the burst of energy is enough to get Kanji to stand again, shattering his Persona card.

“Let’s go, Take-Mikazuchi!” The massive cyborg swipes at Shadow Yosuke with his lightning bolt, striking it hard with a Ziodyne. When it stumbles again, one hand resting against the floor as it tries to recuperate, Teddie turns to Yu.

“We should power ourselves up while it’s down! Kintoki-Douji!” His Persona bursts into view, casting Matarukaja on the team.

“I can weaken it-- Konohana Sakuya!” Alongside Yukiko casting Marakunda, Kanji commands Take-Mikazuchi to cast Masukunda, and Shadow Yosuke stands again, obviously annoyed.

“ _ You’re all pissing me off! _ ” It roars. “ _ Why won’t you let  _ **_me_ ** _ be the hero for once?! _ ” Shadow Yosuke casts Diarama on itself, taking up a defensive position. “ _ All I want is for you guys to respect me for  _ **_me!_ ** _ But you  _ **_don’t!_ ** ”

“The  _ hell _ d’you  _ mean?! _ ” Kanji’s ready to attack again, waiting for a signal from Yu.

" _ People  _ **_only_ ** _ ever act nice to me 'cause im the son of the Junes manager. It's all  _ **_using me_ ** _ to get somewhere higher up. _ " Shadow Yosuke growls, before putting on a terrible impression of... somebody. " _ Oh, Hana-chan, you're so  _ **_nice!_ ** " It seems as if it’s going through a lot of voices. " _ Thanks for helping me, Yosuke-senpai! You're so cool, senpai! Thanks for paying, Yosuke-kun! _ " It roars out again, in anger. " _ Just cut the fucking  _ **_bullcrap!_ ** _ I  _ **_know_ ** _ you all hate me! _ " While everyone seems distracted, it casts a Magarula. “ _ You just wanna use me to get places! _ ”

_ No-- no… they’re-- they’re here because they care. They have to care. Don’t they? _ Yosuke’s stood back from the battle, close to Rise. As much as he feels as if he hates her, he can see the genuine worry in her eyes. He can’t bring himself to hate her when she actually seems to care so much-- and the rest of the team must be the same, right?  _ They care about me, right? _

As if he can hear his thoughts, Yu turns back to Yosuke, the determination and focus on battle slipping for just a few moments to offer him a tender glance--  _ why’s he looking at me like that? _ \-- before he’s facing Shadow Yosuke again, his Persona standing beside him.

“Kanji, attack with me! Ziodyne!” 

“You got it, Senpai!”

The dual Ziodyne strikes send Shadow Yosuke backwards, clutching its chest. Despite the damage it’s taking, it just seems to get angrier and angrier, standing back up and casting yet another Garudyne, this time at Teddie. While Teddie almost gets blown backwards, Kanji grabs hold of his suit-arm, letting most of the attack hit his back instead.

“Yukiko, Chie! Follow up!” Yu calls, and Chie nods to him.

“Let’s go, Yukiko!” Tomoe leaps forwards at Chie’s command, practically commanding Konohana Sakuya’s Agidyne into the form of a dragon to strike Shadow Yosuke.

When it flinches back again, Yu dashes towards Shadow Yosuke, leaping through the smoky remains of Chie and Yukiko’s Twin Dragons attack, ready to strike Shadow Yosuke again. As he directs his sword, ready to plunge it into Shadow Yosuke’s chest, he meets Shadow Yosuke’s eye-- there’s something about it he just doesn’t  _ get. _ Behind that rage is something else, something he doesn’t know if it should  _ ever _ be there-- and while he’s distracted, it winds back, punching Yu square in the chest.

“Gah--?!” The recoil of the punch makes him drop his sword, and he’s flung backwards by the hit. After the punch from the Gigas earlier, his chest  _ hurts-- _ for a few moments, he’s just stunned on the floor, unsure as to  _ what _ just happened. Before he can think, Shadow Yosuke is looming over him, hitting him with a Power Slash.

The cut in his chest is deep, and Shadow Yosuke seems  _ determined _ to aim for  _ exclusively _ him, now. “ _ What’s wrong,  _ **_partner?_ ** _ Too weak to challenge me?! _ ” It laughs loudly, casting a Magarula to keep everyone else at bay. “ _ Once you’re dead, I’ll get to be the hero. _ ” When Yu tries to struggle to his feet, it hits him back again. “ _ I  _ **_hate_ ** _ you, partner. Your stupid pretty face, how much you  _ **_care_ ** _ about everyone else. Of  _ **_course_ ** _ it’d be too much to ask for you to consider  _ **_my_ ** _ feelings for once! _ ”

“Y-- your feelings?” Yu has his hand across his chest, still trying to stand despite the constant barrage of attacks from Shadow Yosuke.

“ _ Yeah! My  _ **_feelings!_ ** _ For  _ **_you!_ ** ” It grabs Yu by the collar, holding him off the ground and glowering at him. “ _ But no, you had to go and fall in love with somebody  _ **_else!_ ** _ What’s wrong with  _ **_me,_ ** _ huh?! Am I  _ **_too much_ ** _ for you?! _ ” It’s constantly casting Magarula now, and both Teddie and Yukiko seem hard pressed to keep everyone healed from it. “ **_Am I, partner?!_ ** ”

Through the whipping wind, Chie manages to stand her ground, locking eyes with Yosuke as he tries to run through the wind. “Yosuke! This thing isn’t weakening yet!”

“I know!” He yells over the wind, aiming for something far away from the group. “I have-- I have a plan, okay?! Just make sure it doesn’t kill him!” While the wind feels as if it’s ripping at his skin, he knows he has to keep going. “If it’s gonna tell everyone my deepest secrets-- then I just have to-- beat it!”

Having been blown back towards Rise, Teddie and Kanji share a glance.

“Yosuke-senpai has feelings for Senpai?!” Kanji raises his eyebrows, and Rise rolls her eyes, summoning Himiko to try and protect the two.

“Duh, Moronji! I always thought he did!” Despite her tone, Rise  _ is _ worried. “We’ve gotta do something, or Senpai’s going to end up--”

“Don’t say it, Rise-chan! Sensei’s going to be okay!” Teddie covers his ears. “I just have to believe in it--!”

“Don’t just  _ believe _ in it, dumbass! Do somethin’!” Kanji punches his suit, and Teddie yelps.

“W-what am I meant to do?! I’m just a bear! A worthless bear!” While Teddie seems ready to go on a tangent, Rise grabs him by the ear.

“No time, Teddie!” She reaches out into the wind, fingers tightening around another hand, and soon, Yukiko is pulled out of the wind, Chie right behind her. “Yukiko-senpai, Chie-senpai! We need a plan!”

“Yosuke said he had a plan-- and I’m trusting him! He just told me to keep Yu alive!”

“The wind’s too strong, we can’t even  _ see  _ ‘em anymore!” Kanji narrows his eyes, raising a hand to his brow, as if it’ll help. “Senpai’s somewhere in there--”

“I can’t heal him if I can’t see him--” Yukiko worries, trying to step back into the wind. “We can’t just leave him in there--”

“ _ You make me sick to my damn stomach, partner. You make me fall in love with you, then you go ahead and  _ **_break_ ** _ my damn heart! I can’t  _ **_wait_ ** _ to see you splashed to the four winds! _ ” Shadow Yosuke’s yelling comes from somewhere in the wind-- it’s difficult to hear with how loud the rushing wind is.

“Yosuke!” Yu’s voice is strained, barely recognisable from its normal, confident tone. “You-- you love me?”

From somewhere else in the wind, there’s a response. “Partner, I--” It’s cut off quickly by another roar from Shadow Yosuke.

“ _ You fell in love with somebody else! Who  _ **_cares_ ** _ if I have feelings for you, partner?! _ ”

_ Who cares if I have feelings for him? Who  _ **_does_ ** _ care? If this is life or death, if I’m gonna die, or something’s gonna happen, I don’t want to-- I can’t die without at least  _ **_telling_ ** _ him! _

Yosuke’s running through the wind by now, ignoring the pain from his foot, the way the wind blows into his eyes and pushes him back-- clutched in his hands is something  _ important, _ and he’s trying to find where Yu and his Shadow are-- the moment he finds them, he can set his plan into action, finally.

“Partner! Keep talking-- are you okay?!” Yosuke calls out, and the response seems far away.

“Alive-- I’m alive--! Wh-what about you, partner?!” Yu replies, and Yosuke’s Shadow twitches slightly.

_ I’ll save you, partner, like you saved me! I don’t care what my family’ll say about me being gay, as long as you’re still alive, I know you’ll be there for me! _

“Just as alive as you!” He thinks he knows which direction he has to go in, and Yosuke breaks into a sprint towards it. “Keep talking!”

“Chie, Yukiko, are you guys still okay?!” Yu turns his head away from Shadow Yosuke, and it grabs him by the jaw.

“ _ Pay attention to me, partner! Are you just gonna  _ **_ignore_ ** _ me?!  _ **_I’ll rip you to shreds!_ ** ” Shadow Yosuke’s grip on Yu’s jaw seems to tighten and tighten-- he can feel it aching.

_ Just stay alive, Yu. Stay alive. We can do this. _

“ _ I can’t wait to see your stupid face contorted in  _ **_pain,_ ** _ you-- you--! _ ” It shakes with rage, removing its hand from Yu’s jaw and instead raising it to hit Yu. “ _ I  _ **_hate_ ** _ you, partner! _ ”

Yu flinches back as its hand moves-- but it never connects. Instead, he opens one eye to assess what might’ve happened-- and instead, he’s greeted by the blade of a sword.

_ His own sword. _

With a glance over Shadow Yosuke’s shoulder, he can see Yosuke holding it tightly, the blade plunged so deep into Shadow Yosuke’s chest, it’s coming out near his throat. Shadow Yosuke turns its head slowly to look at its assailant, and through his own panting breath, Yosuke speaks.

“ _ He’s  _ **_my_ ** _ partner. _ ” He doesn’t let go of the sword, however Shadow Yosuke lets go of Yu. When he hits the floor, Yosuke pushes his Shadow out of the way, pulling the sword out from inside it, and reaching down to Yu, a pained little smile on his face.

“Glad you’re-- you’re still alive, partner.” When he feels Yu’s hand touch his, he holds him tightly, pulling him up to standing, albeit a little shakily. As soon as he’s upright, Yu steps forward, gently pushing the sword in Yosuke’s hand out of the way so he can hug him tightly, half balancing on him, half just because he feels like he  _ needs _ to. The winds are dying down around them, and Yu is holding Yosuke tightly-- tighter than he thinks he ever has-- shaking just a little.

Ignoring the slightly smarter thoughts in his head, Yosuke drops the sword to the floor with a clatter, wrapping his arms back around Yu and holding him just as tightly. He’s caught up in it, their faces in each other’s shoulders-- this isn’t like anything they’ve done before. There’s a moment of pause, before Yosuke moves his head slightly.

“Partner…?” He mumbles, and Yu pulls his head back to look at him. “I… I think I’ve gotta tell you something.”

He opens his mouth to say something more, however he’s cut off by a different voice.

“Senpais!” Rise runs up to them, the rest of the Investigation Team behind her. “Wow, Yosuke-senpai, your plan worked?”

“Hey, don’t act  _ surprised, _ Rise.” Chie rolls her eyes. “Glad it worked out, though. That was getting  _ tough. _ ”

Yosuke attempts to pull back from hugging Yu, but Yu’s arms don’t move. He’s determined to hold him in place, and an embarrassing blush spreads across his cheeks. Instead, Yosuke looks away-- and straight at his own Shadow.

“Yosuke-senpai… you gonna, uh… deal with that?” Kanji raises his eyebrows at him, and Yosuke sighs.

“I mean-- I knew I felt like that since all this started.” He begins, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand. “I guess somewhere along the way everything got… tangled up.” After a short-lived chuckle, he locks eyes with his Shadow. “You’re me. I know that you’re me. You always have been.”

Yosuke looks away from it, now. “But that’s not what it wants to hear. I’ve gotta admit something to you guys.” As he speaks, Yu lets go of him, and Yosuke steps back, trying to avoid eye contact with the rest of the team. “It’s… well, I mean… my Shadow kinda told you all, but… I’m gay.”

While there’s not much reply out of the rest of the team, Kanji places a hand on Yosuke’s shoulder. “Hey, ain’t we all?” He glances back at Chie and Yukiko, who nod. “You held that in?”

“W-well yeah… I said some bullcrap to you that I  _ really _ shouldn’t’ve.” Yosuke hates having to think about it-- he can only imagine how it felt for Kanji to  _ hear _ that, especially coming from somebody who’s meant to be your friend. “And I was just… worried you’d all leave me behind, like everyone else has.”

“Come on, Yosuke! We’re not gonna do that!” Teddie shakes his head. “You took a bear like me in! I wouldn’t leave you behind, and I know you wouldn’t leave me behind, either!”

Yosuke looks away again. “Dammit, feels embarrassing when it comes from you.” He pauses, before rapidly shaking his head. “I-- I guess there’s one last thing I gotta say, to… get my Persona back, I guess…?” His attention turns back to Yu, who’s been silent this whole time. The look on his face is that of worry, and some kind of tender care. Just looking at that, Yosuke wants to hold onto him forever.

“Partner, I wanted you to know that uh… well… I  _ do _ love you. I don’t-- I don’t mind if you don’t feel the same way, since I know you’re already involved and whatever-- it’s just… gotta get it out, you know?”

Kanji turns to Chie, looking more confused than ever. “Wait, who’s Senpai dating?” He says under his breath, and Chie shrugs.

“Yosuke? I--” There’s a sigh of relief from Yu, before suddenly, he wraps his arms back around Yosuke, lifting him into the air. He struggles for a moment, before ultimately deciding he should put him back down. “--I don’t know who you think I’m dating, but I’m not.”

“W-wait, you and Rise aren’t--?”

“You thought Senpai and I were dating?!” Rise can’t hold back her laugh. “Yosuke-senpai, that’s-- that’s  _ hilarious! _ ”

“But you two--? And the holding hands--?” Yosuke sounds genuinely confused, as if trying to work it all out in his head. “You’re  _ not  _ dating?”

“Rise acts like that around all of us.” Yukiko says, and Yosuke puts his face into his hands.

“Man, I’m an idiot, huh?” Despite what he says, there’s a little laugh out of him. “So, uh… partner, if you’re not dating anyone, then…” He glances at his Shadow, and then back to Yu. “Uh-- I haven’t done this in a while, so-- d-d’you wanna, uh… be my boyfriend?”

There’s barely a moment of pause before Yu catches Yosuke’s hands in his own, smiling brightly at him. Brighter than he thinks he’s ever seen him smile before.

“...is that a yes?”

“Yeah, it  _ is _ a yes, partner.” While Yu attempts to pull Yosuke into his chest, he quickly recalls the sheer amount of hits he’s taken-- and how it’ll hurt. Yosuke doesn’t seem to mind this, however, offering him a sappy little smile, before he turns back to his Shadow.

His Shadow seems to nod, and from its remains, his Persona springs back out-- no longer Jiraiya, but something  _ new. _ It seems to stand strong, determined, and for a moment, it looks as if it’s offering the same caring expression he’d shown to Yu moments before.

“Damn, Jiraiya got an upgrade!” Yosuke grins up at it. “Alright-- let’s go, Susano-o!”

With a cry of agreement, Susano-o fades into a card between Yosuke’s fingers, which he admires for a few moments. It’s weird to have a new Persona-- though he can feel that it’s still Jiraiya underneath, just stronger-- it changed form to suit his new self, and he’s willing to stick to being himself, now.

“Okay, after all that-- uh, are we gonna go back for Naoto, or…?” Yosuke asks, and Yu shakes his head.

“Not after that, no. You need a rest-- and I think we all do.” Yu picks his sword up from the floor, pointing it away from the rest of the team. “Alright everyone, back into Junes. Get some good rest tonight.”

As everyone starts heading towards the way back out, relieved at least that there’s no more fighting to be done today, Yu catches Yosuke’s shoulder, holding him back for just a moment.

“Partner, can I talk to you?” Judging by the look in his eyes, it’s not something bad this time.

“Sure thing. What’s up?”

Yu pauses for a minute or so, making sure that the rest of the team has gone back through into Junes, before he turns back to Yosuke and pulls him into a kiss. Yosuke’s surprised at the sudden action-- he hasn’t done  _ this _ in a while, and it feels way better than he remembers.  _ Maybe that’s ‘cause it’s my partner. _ Both his hands manage to land on Yu’s shoulders, and he’s kind of sad the moment they pull back. 

“Just… wanted to do that.” Yu smiles bashfully, and Yosuke can’t help but smile back. “It… it felt good. Like I always thought it would.”

“Y-yeah. It… did felt good-- did feel good-- augh, how d’you  _ do _ this to me?” He puts a hand up to his face. “But hey, you can do that anytime you want now, partner. I know I wouldn’t mind it.” Yosuke grabs one of Yu’s hands. “Hold up, before we go, I have to find my other kunai. My Shadow self threw it somewhere over here…” While he looks around, he rolls a few words around on his tongue. “Boyfriend… boyfriend… damn, I can’t… actually believe I’m your boyfriend. And that you’re mine.”

“Feels nice, doesn’t it?” Yu squeezes his hand. “Guess I really  _ am _ your fairytale prince, huh?”

“Come on, like  _ anybody _ else could be as good a prince as you.” Yosuke’s other hand tightens around his missing kunai. “Here it is! Alright, partner, let’s head home.”

There’s a pause as the two look at each other, as if silently asking the other if the same question is in each other’s heads. Without another moment pause, both Yosuke and Yu blurt out their thoughts.

“Hey partner, can I stay at yours--?”

“D’you wanna stay at mine--?”

Another pause, and Yu holds just a little tighter to Yosuke’s hand. “Of-- of course you can stay at mine. I want you to stay.”

“Okay, but you’re not sleeping on the couch this time.” They begin walking side by side, Yosuke tucking his kunai into his pockets, and Yu hiding his sword under his jacket.

“Why would I sleep on the couch if you’re in my bed?”

“You did last time!”

“We weren’t  _ dating _ last time!”

Both seem to laugh, and despite how both their bodies ache from the fight, they relax into each other. Yu’s just glad that Yosuke’s happy again, a little lovestruck just thinking about the fact that they’re dating now-- and Yosuke’s much the same, no longer worrying about what his parents might say.

“Hey, partner?”  _ Even if they kick me out, I know the rest of the team is there for me. _

“Yeah?”

“I love you. A lot.”

“I love you too, Yosuke. A lot a lot.” Yu presses a soft kiss to Yosuke’s cheek, and Yosuke blushes brightly.

“O-okay, we should head back now-- not keep being sappy in the Midnight Channel.”

“Sure thing, partner. Let’s relax tonight-- I can’t wait to get a rest.”

“Neither-- especially since I’m gonna be with you.”

Perhaps his past relationships haven’t felt this good for a reason. Perhaps it’s all to do with accepting himself, and having friends to back him up.

Or, perhaps it’s just because he was made to love Yu, just like Yu was made to love him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing a fight scene between multiple characters and a shadow is difficult. where is everyone? whats teddie doing? just hanging out? ok cool ill make him do something now. thank fucking god. also sorry naoto maybe ill get to write you some time.


End file.
